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.
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.
Brazil
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 story
Brazil’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 double 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.
—-
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?!?!?
90’ + 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.
82’: 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.
71’: 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.
56’: 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.
47’: Quick Yellow for Alderweireld
Our first yellow goes to Toby Alderweireld, who breaks up a Paulinho counter with a hip check at midfield.
47’: 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.
Seeing 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!
Brazil
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.
Rory 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!
That 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.
Casemiro 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).
