WC 2022: Belgium get knocked out in the group stages while Croatia progress

(Football news) Belgium are knocked out of the World Cup after a disappointing 0-0 draw against Croatia. Roberto Martinez\’s side needed a win against the 2018 World Cup finalists to progress through the round of 16 but they were unable to find the back of the net. The most surprising news came in when he dropped captain Eden Hazard and then Romelu Lukaku came on to miss four easy chances as Belgium\’s World Cup journey came to an end. On the other hand, Croatia advanced into the round of 16 but qualified in second place after Morocco topped the group with a 2-1 win over Canada.

Croatia dominated from the start and had a chance inside the opening 20 seconds but Ivan Perisic put his shot over the bar. Belgium responded with a quick counterattack after 14 minutes but Dries Mertens was unable to find the goal after a through ball from Kevin de Bruyne. Less than a minute later, the 2018 finalist were awarded a penalty when Yannick Carrasco brought down Andrej Kramaric inside the area. Luka Modric was prepared to take the penalty but referee Anthony Taylor was sent to the monitor by the VAR, and the decision was finally overturned for a close offside call in the buildup.

The first half turned out to be a cagey affair, but the game came to life after the break as Thibaut Courtois was called into action early on and prevented Croatia from scoring on three separate occasions. Lukaku came on in the second half but the Inter Milan striker was guilty of missing two big chances in quick succession. Just after the hour mark, Lukaku had his best opportunity when he reacted first to a rebound as he could only manage to strike the post from close range with the Croatian goalkeeper out of position.

The striker then was further guilty of missing two easy headers as his effort went over the bar with the goal at his mercy. It was not at all Lukaku\’s night, the striker went on to miss another two open goals as he could have had a hattrick and taken Belgium to the next round. The result also meant that Roberto Martinez stepped down as the Belgium manager after more than 6 years in charge.

\”It\’s not easy to win games in the World Cup. We weren\’t ourselves in the first game, we had a deserved defeat in the second game. Today we were ready, we created opportunities and today there are no regrets. We\’re out but we can leave with our heads held high.\”
Martinez told BBC after the game.