Belgium kick Ronaldo out of the Eurocup

Belgium advances, which will face Italy in Munich next Friday in one of the great quarterfinals, but the ‘red devils’ are not afraid of this very balanced Euro Cup either.
They curtailed the illusions of the self-sacrificing Portuguese to revalidate the continental title, but they showed a low profile. The duel was resolved by Thorgan Hazard, the very brother, with a great shot when a horrible first half languished, but Roberto Martínez’s team was very flat. It is true that they win without deserving it, like the greats, but with De Bruyne and Eden Hazard so depleted that they ended up injured again, their level decreases considerably.

A huge disappointment for Portugal, who were crowned in Paris five years ago after finishing third in the group stage, but this time neither physical nor luck accompanied them. If you do not score Cristiano Ronaldo, the insatiable record man, there is no paradise. Much more was expected from talents such as Bruno Fernandes and Joao Félix, who came out with the duel already very uphill.
Belgium passed but the long-awaited appointment between the number one in the world rankings since 2018 and the current European and Nations League champions disappointed.

Until the youngest of the Hazards, at this moment the good one, lifted the crowd from their seats with a huge and distant shot that surprised Rui Patricio, the night was soporific in La Cartuja. Perhaps because almost nothing was happening, the Wolverhampton doorman was deactivated. That key goal also portrayed Bernardo Silva, lazy when it comes to defensive aids, as it already happened against Gosens in the Germany win.

It usually happens in the most anticipated duels of the first crosses that the contenders have an almost reverential respect for each other and everyone is more concerned with not making mistakes than with unbalancing.
Hence the boredom. The poor state of the Sevillian grass, slow and full of traps for the ball, which jumped like a rabbit, and the little oxygen that the players have left did not help either to a more lively rhythm. Coaches are sure to prohibit unnecessary efforts because the matches are very long and the risk of arriving stiff at the peak is evident.

Few hostilities after a staging in which Bob Fernández opted for the veteran Vermaelen as third center-back and preferred the stripes of captain Eden Hazard to the work and speed of Yannick Carrasco. In front, Fernando Santos showed that he did not like his team and that is why William Carvalho and Danilo were starters and are now substitutes. This team has much more technical quality than the one that was crowned, but its veteran coach always puts defensive safety first. Normal when at the top you have a puncher like Cristiano who usually solves but can not always come out heads.

Hazard’s fear

Belgium dominated somewhat more, but Portugal enjoyed the best chances. Almost always due to the starts of Renato Sanches, the only one who broke lines, or the turnovers of Eden Hazard with his frivolities. But Diogo Jota first shot badly and then Courtois showed off Cristiano’s free kick. When the Portuguese felt better, the hit of the goal came in that isolated action at the edge of the break. The joy of the Belgians was cut short by De Bruyne’s ankle injury after a hard tackle from Palhinha. It came out in the second part, but it lasted three minutes. Bad luck for this City figure who couldn’t finish the Champions League final either.

Nor did Portugal go crazy after the break, as if trusting that some ball would reach Cristiano. Santos moved the tree and looked for more quality with the double change of Bruno Fernandes and Joao Félix and then with André Silva, but the Belgians felt happy defending under Courtois, with the wood also as an ally. More uneasy every time the eldest of the Hazards disputed a ball, made gestures of pain and touched his ankle three times operated. Psychosis, although in the end he suffered another muscle injury. Tremendous.