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Requiring a win to seal their place in the last 16 of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Belgium took on Croatia in their final Group F fixture on 1 December. Roberto Martinez’s side created an abundance of opportunities, especially in the second half, but could not find a way through, reluctantly settling for a goalless draw.
The stalemate caused Belgium to crash out of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, while Croatia finished second in Group F with five points, two points behind group winners Morocco.
Croatia got off to an electrifying start at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, creating their first attack mere seconds after kickoff. Ivan Perisic dashed down the left flank, going for goal with a searing outside-the-box effort. He caught the ball well but saw it drift wide of Thibaut Courtois’ goal.
Having weathered the initial storm, Belgium created their first goalscoring opportunity in the 10th minute. Yannick Carrasco cut inside from the left flank and fired at the Croatian goal. Marcelo Brozovic made a crucial block to keep him from testing the keeper.
Three minutes later, Kevin De Bruyne superbly released Dries Mertens down the left flank. Mertens looked to curl the ball past Dominik Livakovic with his first-time attempt but caught it horribly wrong, sending it over the bar.
In the 18th minute, Carrasco caught Andrej Kramaric inside the box, prompting the referee to award a penalty to Croatia. Upon consulting with VAR and taking a closer look at the incident, the referee overturned his decision, penalizing Kramaric for being offside in the buildup.
Romelu Lukaku came agonizingly close to scoring the first goal in the Group F decider. In the 60th minute, Lukaku pounced on Carrasco’s rebound and dispatched a right-footed strike. His effort clattered against the right post and went out of play.
Three minutes later, Lukaku missed a free header from inside the box. Luckily for him, replays confirmed that the ball had run out of play before De Bruyne could whip his cross in.
In the 86th minute, Thomas Meunier zipped in a cross for Lukaku inside the Croatian box. The Inter Milan man could not react quickly enough and flicked the ball out of play. Four minutes later, Lukaku was handed another glorious opportunity to break the deadlock. Once again, he could not make clean contact and allowed the keeper to collect.
The Red Devils piled men forward in added time to secure the all-important goal, but could not find a way through a gritty Croatia. Here are two Belgian players who shone and three who cut a frustrating figure in Belgium’s final match of the 2022 FIFA World Cup:
Underperformed: Leandro Trossard
Martinez picked in-form Brighton & Hove Albion winger Leandro Trossard ahead of Eden Hazard against Croatia. Unfortunately, the 27-year-old failed to make the most of the opportunity. He struggled to get involved, never looked like threatening the Croatian goal, and gave the ball away quite a few times.
Against Modric and Co., Trossard did not get any of his shots away, let alone test the keeper. He lost possession 10 times, failed to pull off his only attempted dribble, and lost a ground duel.
Performed: Kevin De Bruyne
Manchester City maestro Kevin De Bruyne was easily the best outfield player in Belgium’s final game at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He kept the game ticking with his short passes, carried the ball with authority, and created plenty of goalscoring chances.
At the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, De Bruyne played three key passes, delivered two accurate crosses, and completed two dribbles. The former Chelsea midfielder also won both of his aerial duels, delivered an accurate long ball, and performed two clearances.
Underperformed: Dries Mertens
After making a 30-min cameo in the 2-0 defeat against Morocco, Dries Mertens was given his first 2022 FIFA World Cup start on Thursday. The Galatasaray forward played a couple of key passes but was at fault for missing a glorious chance in the 13th minute.
De Bruyne played an excellent through ball to Mertens down the left-inside channel. Mertens dispatched a first-time shot from just inside the box but failed to keep it on target.
On Thursday evening, Mertens failed to lodge any shots on target, lost possession five times, and completed only 11 passes (78.6% accuracy). Unimpressed with his performance, Martinez decided to take the former Napoli man off at halftime.
Performed: Thibaut Courtois
Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois had an impressive outing against the 2018 FIFA World Cup runners-up. He was not overtly troubled but came to his side’s rescue when needed. Courtois was also good with the ball at his feet and played some fine passes.
Playing his 100th international match, Courtois made three saves, with three of them coming from inside the box. He also played 27 accurate passes (90% accuracy), made a high claim, and delivered five accurate long balls.
Underperformed: Romelu Lukaku
Romelu Lukaku undeniably added more directness to Belgium’s attack, but he lacked sharpness in front of goal. The former Everton striker had quite a few chances to seal the game for the Red Devils but squandered all of them.
Lukaku's worst miss came in the 90th minute when he could not direct Thorgan Hazard’s cross on target from point-blank range. He failed to anticipate Dejan Lovren’s mistake in front of him and made contact with his chest, allowing Livakovic to collect the ball on the line.
Subbed in at halftime, Lukaku missed a staggering four big chances, played only five passes (62.5% accuracy), and lost possession thrice.
