In match that seems almost cruelty after dreams crashed and burned in the semi-finals, England and Belgium will face each other off to secure the third position in the ongoing World Cup. The match at Krestovsky stadium in Saint Petersburg will see both the teams attempting to make a graceful exit from the Tournament.
In match that seems almost cruelty after dreams crashed and burned in the semi-finals, England and Belgium will face each other off to secure the third position in the ongoing World Cup. The match at Krestovsky stadium in Saint Petersburg will see both the teams attempting to make a graceful exit from the Tournament.
The tournament for the English side was anything but an even ride as their first match saw the Three Lions snatch a win of 2-1 over their African opponents, Tunisia. The credit of this win belonged to Harry Kane who netted the ball at the last moment. The 6-1 win against Panama was remarkable for the sheer margins at which England won! However, in the third group match the Three Lions lost to the Red Devils 1-0 and secured a second position in the group! In quarterfinals, England took on a defensive and relatively timid Swedish side and siled through with a 2-0 win to showcase their first semi-final entry since the 1990. However, the football was not meant to come home as the Three Lions struggled in their semi-final against Croatia ever after an early 5th minute lead and eventually missed their first chance at a Final since 1966 by 2-1.
Belgium on the other hand, had a whirlwind campaign with wins against Panama (3-0), Tunisia (5-2) and England (1-0) propelling it to the top of the scoreboard in the group stage. Hazard and his men faced strong opponents in Japan, Brazil and France in quick succession and while Japan (3-2) and Brazil (2-1) fell in the face of the storm that was Belgium, France contained it in the semi-finals by winning 1-0.
Gareth Southgate has played his men in the entire Tournament with a line-up that emerged both familiar and dependable. The only change possible could be that of Kieran Trippier exiting.
For Belgium, Thomas Meunier will be back on the field after sitting the semi-finals out.
For the two sides, this will be the second time they face each other off in the same tournament, a feat previously only achieved by Turkey and Brazil in 2002. While Belgium would remember the win, England will look to salvage its face and not repeat the loss.
The statistics are oddly in favour of both the Red Devils and the Three Lions. While this will be only the second time after 1986 that Belgium finds itself in a third place play off and it is the only country to have beaten at least one nation from other 5 continents, England too is in this position for the second time after losing to Italy in 1990. Additionally, England has had a remarkable run this Tournament and would wish to end on a high of winning 5 matches in a single tournament since 1966.
The highlight of the match will however be the clash between Harry Kane and Romelo Lukaku who are in the first and the second position in the race to win the Golden Boot.
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