World Cup 2018, Belgium 3-2 Japan: Hits and flops from the game

Belgium came back from two goals behind to book a spot in the quarter-final of the World Cup. A 94th-minute winner from Nacer Chadli was what it took to separate the sides at the Rostov Arena. Having won the game 3-2, Eden Hazard and his boys will play Brazil in the quarterfinals.The match started off with fine intensity, as both sides played some free-flowing football with no major threat on goal. Kagawa had the first sight, dragging an effort wide off the post. As expected, the Belgians saw more of the ball whereas Osako and co. relied on their counter-attacking prowess.Witsel blazed a couple of shots over the crossbar and Kompany's indirect set-piece threat added to Belgium's dominance but the biggest chance fell to Lukaku from close range, who couldn't sort his feet out to bury the ball into the back of the net.While the defensive shift was the main priority, the Asian side enjoyed some space in the wide areas. Although the game was played with lots of purpose, neither side was able to grab it by the scruff of the neck.Another highlight of the first-half was a moment where Courtois almost let a rolling ball land in goal but collected it just in time to save himself from embarrassment.The second-half turned out to be nothing less than a World Cup classic. Seven minutes into it, Japan netted twice to put one foot into the quarter-final. Genki Haraguchi pounced on a mistake by Vertonghen to slot one past Courtois and hence, leave the Chelsea keeper with no chance.Just when it looked like Belgium would shift gears, Japan's superstar in Takashi Inui scored an absolute beauty to double the lead. Vertonghen cancelled out his mistake with an accurate looping header onto the back post, before super-sub Marouane Fellaini restored parity with an excellent header.Goals were expected in the second-half, but not in this fashion. Both teams upped the ante and continued to create openings in a fixture filled with drama. Eiji Kawashima made a double save to deny Nacer Chadli and Romelu Lukaku.However, the defining moment came when Belgium counter-attacked through a De Bruyne move, which involved Lukaku and Chadli. The latter won the game for his country.#BEL are the first team to come from two goals down to win a #WorldCup knockout game in 48 years.The last team to do so was West Germany against England in 1970. pic.twitter.com/bDscGmGzeN— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) July 2, 2018Here are 5 players who underwent the most contrasting of outings - #5 Best: Nacer Chadli You know what happens next!Off the bench, on the score sheet.Roberto Martinez silenced his critics by bringing on Marouane Fellaini and Nacer Chadli. Both of them were involved in direct contributions, and if a player scores the winner in a pre-quarterfinal in the final minute of an intense World Cup match, he deserves to be on this list.Chadli looked positive right from the word go. Along with fresh legs, he brought in a sense of grit and sharpness into the game.His first contribution was a 40-yard run, wherein he skipped past three defenders, sustained challenges to stay on his feet and take Japan's midfielders out of the equation. This was just one of the few remarkable runs he made.His dribbling coupled with his balance struck fear in the opposition's minds. Chadli advanced forward, linked up play with Hazard and counter-attacked with precision.Last but not the least, he claimed the all-important touch of the game. A true match-winner.

World Cup 2018, Belgium 3-2 Japan: Hits and flops from the game

#4 Worst: Yannick Carrasco