Belgium coach Marc Wilmots said his team does not have to play beautiful football to make progress in the World Cup, after his side squeezed past Russia in a largely drab 1-0 win on Sunday to book their place in the knockout phase.
“To advance in a tournament, you don’t always need to be pretty,” said Wilmots.
“I believe that you need to be efficient. What counts is that Belgium got a good win and qualified for the second round. Everything else has absolutely no importance.”
Brazilian fans jeered the teams during a second half of their Group H match that was littered with mistakes. But that was before the closing stages when winger Eden Hazard switched on the kind of form that has lit up Chelsea matches this season as he created several late chances.
It was his cross that set up the winner by substitute Divock Origi, the 19 year-old son of a former professional footballer, who was the youngest player to score in this tournament and the first teenager to net in the World Cup finals since Lionel Messi in 2006.
Hong gets it wrong, Koreans almost gone
South Korea coach Hong Myung-bo thought his disjointed defence would suddenly find their feet in the heat of World Cup battle, having shipped 11 goals in five games in the build-up.
On Sunday, he paid the price for such misplaced faith. Algeria tore his back four to shreds and goalkeeper Jung Sung-ryong pressed the panic button as the African side recorded a 4-2 victory that put them on the brink of the knockout round for the first time.
“The defence wasn’t what it should have been, our players were not up to standard,” said a downcast Hong after Algeria became the first African team to score four goals in a World Cup game.
South Korea must now win that remaining game against Belgium on Thursday to stand any chance of qualifying from Group H. Algeria simply have to avoid defeat by Russia to reach the last 16 round.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 24th, 2014.
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