Belgium Showed Character and Maturity in Their World Cup Victory vs. USA

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: July 1, 2014

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In a match that ended in a dramatic and suspenseful period of extra time, Belgium managed to beat USA and progress to the quarter-final on Tuesday.

The extra 30 minutes, needed because regular playing time had ended at 0-0, looked open ended, with the Americans refusing to give up, despite being 2-0 behind at one point.

But looked at from a wider perspective, it had been clear for a while that Belgium were most likely to win. Although they have sometimes been condemned as relatively inexperienced on the big stage, they showed character and maturity when it really mattered.

For a long time, especially during the second half, it looked as if Belgium’s goal was imminent. Dominating possession and constantly managing to create chances through clever interplay between Eden Hazard, Kevin de Bruyne and later, when he came on, Kevin Mirallas, the Rode Duivels rarely gave USA any space to breathe. 

In the end, it came to extra time before one of Belgium’s many creative midfielders and attackers managed to find the net. After an intelligent run from deep and subsequent pass from Romelu Lukaku, who had just come on and was still fresh, it was Kevin de Bruyne who slotted it past American goalkeeper Tim Howard. Not long later, Lukaku himself made it 2-0.

While Howard had seemed, until then, like an unmovable object, it was long clear that the Americans were largely worn out, unable to cope with the pressure the Belgians were putting on them, ball after ball and run after run.  

Like a creeping virus, Belgium were slowly but surely putting their stranglehold over USA, delaying the finish time and again but never putting it out of sight. 

Similar scenarios had transpired during Belgium’s group-stage campaign. Against Algeria, the Rode Duivels’ very first match of the tournament, it wasn’t until the dying minutes when the opposition’s defensive wall was finally broken. Against Russ...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - International Football

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