It was not a big party night, but the main thing is a fact. After a lackluster performance against Estonia, the Red Devils have been placed for the 2022 World Cup. Belgium won 3-1 against the football dwarf. After goals from Benteke and Carrasco, a connecting goal caused doubts for a while, Thorgan Hazard quickly wiped it away. Qatar is calling!
Belgium – Estonia in a nutshell
- Key moment: Sorga’s connection goal caused some unrest for a while, but with an intermediate acceleration, the Red Devils removed the last doubt. The surplus of quality was the deciding factor tonight.
- Man of the Match: Kevin De Bruyne was involved in the 1-0, prepared the 3-1 and was one of the few Devils who managed to stay focused the whole time. The red-haired man is gradually clambering out of his trough.
- Remarkable: Eden Hazard joined Jan Ceulemans with 51 international caps as captain, but despite that record he could not banish the doubts. He seems to have completely lost his acceleration and remains in the dodder street.
Attack wave only yields one goal
Only one small surprise in the starting eleven of national coach Martinez: Castagne figured on the right side of the three-man defence. As indicated in advance, Benteke was in the rush. In the absence of Lukaku and Batshuayi, the Crystal Palace attacker was eager for a strong performance.
Benteke scored the first dangerous shot, which deviated from an Estonian leg. The Red Devils patiently tapped the ball around, while the Estonians camped on the edge of the box. Goalkeeper Igonen soon had to fish a ball out of his tent. He let a cross from Carrasco slip under his body, so that Benteke only had to score the 1-0.
Igonen recovered by tapping a fiery free kick by De Bruyne against the post moments later. The Belgians got up to speed, but the football gods resisted. Benteke headed strongly against the post and saw Igonen tap his slider just wide. Hazard showed that he was still rusty by only choking on the goalkeeper. After Vanaken forgot to head in the 2-0, the Belgian game watered down until the break.
Estonians scare lax Belgians
After the break, the pressure was immediately on the Estonian kettle again. Our Devils monopolized the ball and it was simply a matter of waiting for the reassuring 2-0. That came after just over five minutes in the second half. Carrasco drove his long shot into the square untenable.
Hazard cut himself free again, but pushed off very weakly. Eden was replaced by brother Thorgan after another dubious evening. Meanwhile, the Belgians imagined their sheep on dry land. The belt could come off and more and more carelessness crept into the team. Sorga confronted the Devils with the facts. He reacted fastest when Courtois turned an attempt by Sappinen.
The 2-1 shook up the King Baudouin Stadium abruptly, but there was not much time to murmur. De Bruyne spooned the 3-1 to Thorgan’s head and the lead was restored. Courtois could afford to fumble on the edge of his rectangle and Saelemaekers’ tasty 4-1 was still rejected, but qualifying for the world championship in Qatar was no longer in jeopardy.
