Brazil Crashes Out, and Belgium Marches Into the Semifinals
Brazil’s run at the World Cup ended in stunned silence on Friday, as Belgium eliminated the five-time world champions, 2-1, in Kazan.
The win was as deserved as it was shocking: Brazil had been among the best teams left in a field that already had seen out pre-tournament favorites like Germany and past champions like Spain and Argentina, and it had plenty of chances to rewrite Friday’s ending. But Belgium took a bit of luck, a little bite and a solid plan and blended it into a signature victory, its fifth straight in this tournament.
| Home | Game Info | Away |
|---|---|---|
| Brazil | Belgium | |
| Quarterfinal | ||
Belgium took the lead against the run of play in the 13th minute, when Brazil’s Fernandinho turned a corner kick into his own net. Brazil, which had had the better of play until the goal, seemed stunned by its first deficit of the tournament. But it soon got worse: Kevin de Bruyne buried a long shot through a group of Brazilian defenders in the 31st minute.
Shocked to be behind by a goal, Brazil seemed absolutely flummoxed to be down by two. Belgium’s physical play also knocked the Brazilians off their stride again and again. And when Brazil did find a way through, its shots either were blocked by scrambling Belgians or pushed away by goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who had a strong game that included several diving saves and a last-minute leaping one to deny Neymar.
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Continue reading the main storyBrazil made the final minutes interesting when the substitute Renato Augusto converted a header in the 76th minute to cut the deficit to 2-1, but — pressed on by a pro-Brazil crowd — the Selecão never found the second they needed.
Continue reading the main storyBrazil’s elimination, and the exit of Uruguay at the hands of France earlier in the day, guarantees the tournament will have a European champion. The France-Belgium winner will face the survivor of the side of the bracket that plays Saturday: Sweden vs. England, and then host Russia against Croatia.
It also raised the odds for a first-time champion. France (1998) and England (1966) are the only teams left who have previously won a World Cup.
Brazil’s defeat, four years after it was hammered in the semifinals by Germany on home soil. will be tough for it to swallow. Brazil entered its game against Belgium riding three straight shutouts and 310 scoreless minutes by its defense. With teams like Germany and Spain and arch rival Argentina long gone, its fans had come to see the team’s first world championship since 2002 as something of a destiny this summer.
But Belgium did everything right on Friday: it muscled Brazil’s playmakers off the ball and counterattacked at pace. Safely in front at halftime, it merely doubled down on those tactics — holding Brazil at bay on one end, and then tormenting it with breakouts by Eden Hazard and De Bruyne at the other whenever it could.
The Belgians swallowed one another in hugs at the final whistle, celebrating a new high-water mark in the country’s soccer history.
Many of the Brazilians just sank to their knees when the game ended, shocked that they had been denied — again — a title they see as they quadrennial destiny.
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Here’s how Belgium eliminated Brazil:
90’ + 5: Time Is Short
Final moments here ... Is Brazil going out?
90’ + 4: Neymar Shoots, Courtois Blocks!
Oh Courtoiiiissssssssss .....He dives to palm a Neymar curler over the bar. Did he just save the day?!?!?
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Continue reading the main story90’ + 1: Coutinho Fires
Marcelo tees up Coutinho again — but he shoots directly into Fellaini’s backside. That’ll leave a welt, but at least it’s not a goal.
90’: Five Minutes Added
Five minutes of added time for Brazil to save itself .....
90’: Last Chance for Neymar?
We tick over 90 minutes with a long ball to Neymar at the back post — and HE GOES DOWN IN A HEAP. Meunier shoved him ever so slightly, but he’s not getting a single call today. And that’s just one more.
89’: Yellow for Fagner
Yellow to Fagner for a wrestling takedown of Hazard at midfield. Hardly matters who gets a yellow for Brazil now. They’re minutes from missing the semifinals at this point, and they can’t allow a goal.
88’: Neymar Dribbles Out
Neymar turns Alderweireld beautifully in the area — and then promptly dribbles straight over the end line. Oops.
86’: LukakuTaken Off
Belgium sub: Lukaku is sacrificed for Tielemans. This is a lockdown move. Also wastes a little time, and that helps too.
85’: Yellow for Fernandinho
Fernandinho gets a yellow for taking down Hazard after he’s beaten to the inside. Tick...tick...tick...tick.
84’: Coutinho Misses by a Mile
Oh dear. Neymar does everything right down the left, turns Meunier like a tree stump and puts the ball on a tee for a late-arriving Coutinho — who sends it a mile high.
83’: Time for ... Something?
Feels like there’s a moment here for someone to do .... something. Neymar? Coutinho? Hazard? Lukaku? De Bruyne? This game’s still there to be saved, or won.
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Continue reading the main story82’: Let’s Pause for a Minute
We appear to be in an unofficial water break here. Everyone drinking, a few guys looking at tablets, while poor Chadli gets some treatment. He’ll come off, and be replaced by Thomas Vermaelen.
81’ OH RENATO!!!!
A gorgeous feed sends him up the gut all alone and he yanks his shot wide of a dead-to-rights Courtois. What a miss. Is that the one they’ll play over and over on Globo for the next week?
80’: Belgium’s Counterattack Fizzles
A four-man bustout by Hazard falls apart when he short-legs a pass across the field and Fagner steals it. Here comes Brazil again.
79’: Firmino Gets Involved
Firmino now! He collects from Neymar in the area, turns and JUUUUUSTT misses the top corner. Brazil is buzzing now, maybe for the first time since the opening five minutes.
76’: GOAL! Brazil!
THERE’S THE GOAL! Renato Augusto with a header off a Coutinho lollipop and HERE. WE. GO.
That was a SUPER ball from Coutinho to Renato Augusto, the substitute, and probably the only way to get it to him. He took it at the spot and nodded it past a flat-footed Courtois.
75’: Two chances for Brazil!
First Costa on the right, saved by Courtois, and then Neymar takes a swing at the rebound, but it’s cleared by a defender.
73’: Time Running Out for Brazil
Final sub for Brazil: Renato Augusto comes on for Paulinho. That’s the last play of the cards for Tite, who hears the tick, tick, tick that we all hear now.
It goes without saying that a Brazil goal here would make the final 15 minutes or so THRILLING.
72’: Brazil Pushes Back
Hazard down again after a rough collision at midfield on a give and go with Chadli. Fagner just ran right through Hazard there.
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Continue reading the main story71’: Yellow for Meunier
Game is really getting wide open now. Marcelo slides in to prevent a ball that would have sent Meunier in free, and as Brazil comes back upfield, Neymar gets sandwiched and goes down. That’s a yellow for Meunier, his second of the tournament, so he’ll miss the semifinal if Belgium hangs on here.
70’: Kompany in the Way
Costa pulls up again, this time after cutting across the top of the area. But his shot hits Kompany in the forehead.
68’: Blood Break
A small break to get some blood off Fernandinho’s face gives Brazil a chance to talk things over. “Well, this stinks.” “No kidding.” “What should we do?” “Beats me.”
66’: Brazil Just Being Outmuscled
One obvious problem for Brazil is that they’re losing every physical confrontation they come across. Fellaini’s too big. Kompany’s too big. Lukaku and Witsel and Vertonghen are too big. Either that or they’re just not contesting them, which is probably more troubling if it’s the case.
63’: Neymar vs. the World
Brazil springs Neymar in behind, but it’s him and seven — SEVEN!!!!! — Belgians back there so he has to pull the ball out.
62’: Belgium Almost Scores Again
Belgium with a chance for three! Eden Hazard, fed by Kevin de Bruyne and with Romelu Lukaku open in the center, drags a shot wide past Alisson. Brazil comes upfield and gets a shot of its own, but like so many of their attempts, the space closes down and Courtois dives to punch away Douglas Costa’s effort from a tight angle.
61’: Brazil Needs ... Something
Thirty minutes to go for Brazil, and they’ll need to be a lot better than they’ve been for the first hour.
59’: Now Hazard Goes Down
Hazard down, screaming, with what can only be described as a Suarez.
58’: Sub for Brazil
Another sub for Brazil: Douglas Costa on, Jesus off.
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Continue reading the main story56’: No Penalty
We’re paused here as Mazic is listening for a V.A.R. review here. And they see what we saw: no penalty. We play on.
56’: Penalty Appeal!
Jesus nutmegs Vertonghen beautifully, but Kompany comes over to collect the ball and shove it out of bounds, while Jesus falls theatrically.
55’: Brazil’s Push Stalls
Good bit of sustained Brazil pressure here. But it’s not translated into a good shot, I don’t think. Everything just collapses at the key moment.
53’: No Call!
Nope. On replay, it’s Neymar who kicks out at Fellaini’s leg, trying to draw contact and go down. But Fellaini stayed away, and the call is correct. No V.A.R. on the field.
52’ Neymar down!
He sure looked like he got tripped by Fellaini there, but Mr. Mazic waves him up again. He seemed to make the V.A.R. signal though, as if to say, “IF that was a penalty, they’ll tell me in a minute.” Seems an odd way to defer on a call right in front of him though ......
51’: Marcelo Busy
Beautiful turn in the box by Marcelo, who leaves Meunier standing still in the area. But his cross is a bit too swift for Firmino, who gets there a beat late, and it rolls through the goalmouth and out.
49’: Neymar Pickpocketed
Neymar just got pickpocketed — again — by Kompany at the top of the box. He just doesn’t seem willing, or able, to fight these Belgians off.
48’: Brazil Moves Forward
Brazil presses forward and Firmino tries a nifty backheel. To no one, since no one had any idea what he was doing nor bothered to follow him to find out.
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47’: Quick Yellow for Alderweireld
Our first yellow goes to Toby Alderweireld, who breaks up a Paulinho counter with a hip check at midfield.
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Continue reading the main story47’: Free Kick for Belgium
It takes Belgium all of 30 seconds to win a dangerous free kick on the left. They play it short, though, and settle for some possession.
46’: Firmino Replaces Willian
One change at halftime, and it’s by Tite and Brazil: Roberto Firmino is on, and Willian departs.
Brazil Needs Some Bite
The unfortunate problem for Brazil right now is that the player they need, the one who might give them some order and some bite, is Casemiro. And he’s suspended today.
Halftime: Belgium 2, Brazil 0
That was not how anyone expected that to go, except for maybe Roberto Martinez. His decision to start Fellaini and Chadli in a more rugged midfield has paid off. Martinez could not have predicted an own goal, or De Bruyne’s long-range second (O.K., maybe we were overdue for one of those).
But Brazil definitely doesn’t like the more physical game Belgium is playing, and it’s going to have to sort out a way to change that. Maybe stretching the field a bit more will get Neymar, Coutinho and Jesus a bit more room to work. But what Brazil needs now is a goal — any goal — and a belief that it’s got a couple more inside it.
Brazil played the first half like a team that arrived at the stadium thinking it had the win in the bag. And teams that do that often run into trouble.
What a rocket! #BRABEL pic.twitter.com/NMEXg74fLi
— FIFA World Cup (@WorIdCupUpdates) July 6, 2018
45’: No Whistles
Seconds later it’s Meunier taking him down just inside the elbow of the area. But no call from Mr. Mazic again, and Neymar quickly gives up his penalty appeal. One minute of added time.
44’: Bullying Neymar
Fellaini takes the ball from Neymar easily again. And now Witsel AND Fellaini take down Neymar over the ball. Sensing a theme?
43’: Where’s Neymar?
Neymar just gave up on the ball after a shove from Witsel. Not a vicious one, or even a rough one. But the kind that just knocked him off the ball momentarily, and the kind he hates.
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Continue reading the main storySeeing a lot of that from him and Fellaini, and it’s worked so far. Neymar hasn’t been much of a factor in this half.
42’: Alisson Again
Chadli finds Kompany at the near post on the corner, and he tries a nifty first-touch backheel. But its right at Alisson, who is more than happy to catch it.
41’: Alisson Prevents No. 3
Free kick for De Bruyne on the left ... SAVED by Alisson, who pushes it over the bar.
40’: Belgium’s Mood
Belgium looks alternately confident and panicky, largely depending on when Brazil is defending on its back foot or its front one. When Brazil lays back, Belgium seems eager to take the action to them. But whenever they hesitate, and bring the ball back out, Brazil suddenly pounces and before you know it Courtois is standing over it again.
37’: Coutinho Blocked by Courtois
Marcelo goes close — accidentally! He runs deep and tries to cross, but a defender blocks it and Courtois has to punch it wide. Brazil comes back through Coutinho, but his shot from the top of the area is punched by by the giant Belgian goalkeeper.
36’: Jesus Misses Header
Brazil did everything right there: stretched out the Belgians, split the ball out wide to Marcelo, he served it back in to an open Gabriel Jesus on the spot — and he missed badly on a header from there.
Belgium: 1 Shot, 2 Goals
Here’s an odd stat: Belgium has two goals, but only one shot on net. That’s because its first goal came courtesy of Fernandinho’s own goal. For the record, Belgium has five shots: De Bruyne’s went in, two were off target and two were blocked.
34’: Brazil in Trouble
Wow. I haven’t seen Brazil this flustered since the Germans tore them apart in 2014. They just can’t believe they’re behind, and they really need to sort out what the heck’s gone wrong — and fast.
31’: GOAL! Belgium Leads 2-0
De Bruyne delivers! Mazic stops play briefly to lecture about corner-kick behavior, but no one’s listening to him. Doesn’t matter, Belgium clears and breaks out ..... AND SCORES! IT’S 2-0!
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Continue reading the main storyBrazil is stunned. Lukaku started that in his own half and fed De Bruyne out to his right as he left the center circle. De Bruyne calmly controls and, with FOUR Brazilians in front of him, fires a right-footed shot through the square they made and beats Alisson inside the left post.
30’: Brazil Looking for a Way
More danger for Brazil after they win a free kick yards from the corner flag, but Belgium throws bodies in front of two shots to force an actual corner from the other side.
28’: Magic Spray for Neymar
Neymar is off getting some sort of treatment in front of the Brazil bench. His left sock is down, but don’t worry: they’ve got the magic spray. That fixes everything.
26’: Free Kick for Brazil
Marcelo wins a foul merely by challenging Lukaku for a header. The big guy always loses the whistle there.
25’: Brazil in the Paint
Brazil trying to back down Belgium like a center in the low post, but Vertonghen fights off Willian, and then a cross finds no one.
22’: Brazil Cools Down
Now it’s Brazil in a little cooldown at the back. Their coach, Tite, has preached patience all along, and it’s worked. Brazil simply wears down its opponents. But that’s a lot easier to do when you’re not a goal down. And when Belgium isn’t running at you with Hazard, De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku again and again.
19’: Poor Try for Brazil
Brazil’s movement peters out with the ball at Coutinho’s feet, so he tries a screened shot from 22 yards. But he’s probably not beating Thibaut Courtois with anything like that from out there.
18’: Kompany Handles Gabriel Jesus
A careless giveaway by Neymar sends Brazil back to regroup, and when Coutinho comes back and tries to spring Jesus over the top, Kompany just grabs him and throws him to the ground. The Serbian referee thinks that’s totally fine.
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Continue reading the main storyRory Smith: This is exactly how this Belgium team should approach this: make Brazil deal with them, not worry about what Brazil might do in return.
17’: Brazil Going for Turnovers
This is the first time Brazil has trailed in Russia and they clearly don’t like it. They also don’t think it’s deserved, and to prove it they’re back to squeezing Belgium at the back, trying to force turnovers.
15’: Brazil Fights Back
Two good chances for Brazil quickly, with a ball driven deep and then cut back to Gabriel Jesus. But he got stuffed in close and then couldn’t get his feet sorted to bury the rebound before Courtois and help arrived.
13’ GOAL! Belgium Leads
That was, um, unexpected. But the corner Fellaini won is fired in. Kompany rises and misses at the near post, but the ball hits Fernandinho on the shoulder and beats Alisson from close range.
Oh dear, what an error. And it breaks a scoreless streak of more than 320 minutes for Brazil’s defense, which had been rock solid so far. But we said Belgium would have an advantage in the air, and sometimes that pays off in strange ways.
FERNANDINHO OWN GOAL!!!!!!!!!!!! BELGIUM 1-0 BRAZIL!!!! #BRABEL #BRA #BEL #WorldCup pic.twitter.com/F16hNCgI8r
— FIFA World Cup (@WorIdCupUpdates) July 6, 2018
12’: Belgium Trying to Slow Things Down
Brazil is still hunting up front, but Belgium is trying to calm things (and maybe themselves) down by passing it around a bit in their own end.
10’: Belgium Escapes
Another ball through the six on a corner! But fortunately for Belgium it falls to Paulinho, catching him off guard, and he can’t put much behind his shot.
7’: Danger From Brazil!
The first corner goes to Brazil. Belgium should have the advantage on most of these, with its back three and the towering Fellaini and Witsel — but SOMEHOW THEY LET IT THROUGH. Gabriel Jesus flicks a header and Thiago Silva manages to bundle it toward goal and off the left post!
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Continue reading the main storyThat was very close, and not a great sign if you’re Roberto Martinez.
6’: Fellaini Busts Neymar
First bit of flash from Neymar, who, under pressure from Alderweireld, backheels to Marcelo. The joy doesn’t last long, though: seconds later Fellaini lands a forearm to the back of Neymar’s head, and he’s down for what surely will be the only time tonight. (Kidding.)
That one hurt though.
4’: Kompany Sends One Flying
Now it’s Kompany with a panicky ball out of the back. It lands about 15 rows up at midfield, and he signals a “sorry” to Meunier.
3’: Brazil Aggressive
Brazil’s front four is ball-hawking in force whenever Belgium’s back line has the ball. I bet that three-man defense feels a little lonely when that happens.
2’: Belgium Goes on Attack
Belgium with the first probe, a looooong ball from Alderweireld over Lukaku. But by over, we mean, well over. Belgium quickly wins it back after the goal kick, and De Bruyne dispossesses (and decleats) Fernandinho, but his shot is safely left of Alisson.
1’: Kickoff!
Brazil in yellow with blue shorts, Belgium all in red. Enjoy.
Here We Go
The team’s are out of the tunnel. Two anthems, a few photos and a coin toss and we’re off. Remember: the winner tonight gets France in St. Petersburg on Tuesday.
Brazil and its fans are back to singing the second verse of the national anthem a cappella after the music stops. They did that in 2014, seemingly spontaneously, and it was terrific. It also helps when the majority of fans in the stadium are Brazilian, and know the words.
Belgium’s anthem is a quickie. The giant flags come off, the teams shake hands: “Good luck, good luck, good luck, Hi Fernandinho! good luck, good luck .....”
The Man in Charge
We have a Serbian referee tonight, Milorad Mazic, which is kind of interesting since Brazil sent Serbia packing in the group stage. Conspiracy theorists love that kind of connection. The video-assistant referee tonight is Italian.
Yellow Danger
Yellow cards are wiped clean at the World Cup but only after the quarterfinals. That means a handful of players in the starting lineups today need to be careful if they want to play in a potential semifinal: Neymar and Philippe Coutinho for Brazil, and Jan Vertonghen, Kevin De Bruyne and Thomas Meunier for Belgium.
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Continue reading the main storyCasemiro Out for Brazil
Brazil’s tenacious defensive midfielder, Casemiro, is a big reason the Selecão has gone 310 minutes and counting without a goal. But he’ll watch the Belgium game: he’s suspended for accumulation of yellow cards. The likely replacement is Fernandinho, slightly older and slightly less physically-imposing, but still a solid second choice. And in some ways Fernandinho may be the perfect fit against his Manchester City teammate Kevin De Bruyne and two other Premier League rivals in the Belgium attack, Eden Hazard (Chelsea) and Romelu Lukaku (Manchester United).
Interactive Feature
Spot the Ball: The Knockout Round
Messi’s gone. Ronaldo’s gone. Germany’s long gone. But Spot the Ball has survived the World Cup knockout round! To celebrate, we’ve pulled some photos from the round of 16 and made one very important change — we removed the ball. See if you can guess where it was.
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