Whoever can beat Brazil may face the finals with optimism. This is a traditional belief of the World Cup. Through an especially arduous quarterfinal match, Belgium has managed to do exactly this. As such, will Belgium’s golden generation go to the finals and be crowned this year’s World Cup champions?
By
SINDHUNATA
·5 minutes read
Whoever can beat Brazil may face the finals with optimism. This is a traditional belief of the World Cup. Through an especially arduous quarterfinal match, Belgium has managed to do exactly this. As such, will Belgium’s golden generation go to the finals and be crowned this year’s World Cup champions?
In the 1986 World Cup, Belgium reached the semifinals with its previous golden generation, comprising Jan Ceulemans, Enzo Scifo and Rene Vandereycken. At the time, Ceulemans and his teammates were forced to accept defeat at the hands of Argentina with its legendary soccer star Diego Maradona. It was only 32 years later, in the 2018 World Cup, that Belgium reached the semifinals once more. This time, it has another golden generation with Kevin de Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and Eden Hazard. Will Belgium’s current golden generation defeat France and make it through to the finals?
For Kevin de Bruyne, the term “golden generation” has no significant meaning. “Golden generation or not, tournaments such as this is always difficult. If we want to win, we need to defeat the big names,” said the multifunctional midfielder.
By defeating Brazil, De Bruyne and his teammates have passed a most challenging ordeal, which tested not only their playing skills but also their mental endurance. “The last fifteen minutes against Brazil were truly a test of character,” De Bruyne said.
Belgium’s coach Roberto Martinez said that the victory against Brazil was “a mental victory”. Belgium was visibly overwhelmed in the second half, especially after Brazilian midfielder Renato Augusto scored against them, bringing the score to 2-1 for Belgium.
However, with their mental persistence, the Belgium players successfully withstood Brazil’s subsequent assaults on Thibaut Courtois’ goal until the end of the match. “They were really strong. Their victory was not about luck. They have Courtois and they were effective,” Brazil’s coach Tite said.
Hazard said that Belgium was now stronger than it was in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, where it was defeated by Argentina. Belgium today is also stronger than it was in the 2016 Euro Cup, where it was beaten by Wales, 1-3, in the quarterfinals. We have top players and we play as a group instead of individually. We know what we should and should not do,” Hazard said.
Despite not underestimating their opponent, Belgium said that it would be 100-percent prepared to defeat France. In Hazard’s eyes, France with its roster of young players had more complex problems. In the knock out stage, experience and maturity are necessary. In this sense, Belgium clearly has the upper hand. “Our ages are between 25 and 30 years old. We have equal maturity. This will be important in this match,” Hazard said.
Belgium’s towering reputation is inseparable from coach Roberto Martinez. Martinez is seen as a “football intellectual” highly inspired by Johan Cruyff and Pep Guardiola. Martinez has years of experience in the Premier League and brought Wigan Athletic to win the FA Cup. He is deft in creating tactics. He has reinforced Belgium’s defense line, enabling the team to really show its teeth through its attacks.
Belgium players, especially De Bruyne, are also visibly comfortable under Martinez. De Bruyne is familiar with Martinez’ techniques, which as quite similar to those of Guardiola, his mentor and coach at Manchester City.
De Bruyne has internalized Guardiola’s teachings. Under Guardiola, De Bruyne – known as a shy and quiet individual – soars so high that his fans call him “King Kevin”.
What’s more is that De Bruyne is not an egoistic player. No matter how good his chance of scoring a goal is, he often gives the ball to his teammates, enabling a more beautiful goal. His passing skill has truly become an art form. “He is our pianist. He has the perspective, the intelligence and a fierce assist,” said Benjamin Mendy, De Bruyne’s teammate at Manchester City who will face him tonight.
De Bruyne and his teammates were showered with praises after they defeated Brazil. Their gloomy past is now behind them. “This is the game of their lives. It’s a game of the generation. All disappointments of the past have been forgotten and forgiven. The squad has entered football history and will stay there for good,” Belgian newspaper La Derniere Heure wrote.
In this year’s World Cup, France may be the favorite against Belgium. However, considering Belgium’s achievements thus far, people cannot say that it will be easy for France to defeat Belgium. In this case, France must learn from Brazil’s mistake of underestimating Belgium’s fierce retaliations in launching their attacks.
Clearly, the semifinal match on early Wednesday (11/7/2018), Jakarta time, will be a good one. Le Figaro wrote that the two squads would give explosive performances. Belgium versus France will be a finale avant la lettre, or the final before the actual final match.