Belgium
Slow start didn’t assume bad
results for Belgium.
The European “dark horses” of the World Cup played
three matches, in each of
them being accurately a goal better than the opponents. Marc Wilmots’s team
never showed the football which would scare their upcoming opponents. However,
the fact that the team scored all of its goals
not earlier than 20 minutes before
the end talks about the huge undiscovered potential of Belgium. A
team, where every young player seemed to be scrutinized long before the World
Cup, the 19-year-old striker Divock Origi surprised the world, delivering some
significant performance, worthy to be become the breakthrough of the
tournament.
The United States is the
next opponent of Belgium.
The group H winners will look fresher after the main players took a rest in the
last group match. A new stage and new challenges will simply make Wilmots show
us what his team is really capable of. The whole world looks forward to see the
renaissance of Belgian football and the demonstration of exciting play by the
“golden generation”, lead by Thibaut Courtois and Eden Hazard.
Matches
played: 3
Goals scored
- conceded: 4 - 1
Topscorer
(s): Vertonghen, Origi, Mertens, Fellaini (all - 1)
Team marks:
4 + 4 + 6 = 14,0
Average mark: 4,67
Best players: Mertens, Courtois (both – 1,5)
Final place
among 32: 4
Chances to
win the World Cup: 4,59%
USA
Juergen Klinsmann can consider himself as a lucky manager. Playing three
matches and not demonstrating
any unbeatable power, the team was able to score
four lucky, though well-deserved, goals against Ghana
and Portugal.
These two teams had problems with concentration during the whole group stage,
and USA
was there to punish them. Four points before the last group match had almost
guaranteed Klinsmann’s team a place in the round of 16.
The main weapon of the US
team is Tim Howard. The experienced goalkeeper has been reliable and has to
remain so, if the team is meant to beat the Europeans. A typical characteristic
of the team is that there are no superstars. None of the players is
significantly better than the others. So this means that the danger can come
from anywhere, as it has already happened in this World Cup. Klinsmann will
surely fill the midfield, to be able to prevent the talented Belgians of
showing any sign of creativity.
Matches
played: 3
Goals
scored - conceded: 4 - 4
Topscorer
(s): Dempsey (2)
Team marks:
3,5 + 4 + 2,5 = 10,0
Average mark: 3,34
Best players: Howard, Jones (both – 2,0)
Final place
among 32: 14
Chances to
win the World Cup: 0,52%
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