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Belgium narrowly edged Portugal in a high-octane UEFA Euro 2020 knockout match to qualify for the quarter-finals. Thorgan Hazard scored the only goal of the game to give the Red Devils a 1-0 victory. It was a tight, cagey affair for the most part. One almost had the feeling that it would take something spectacular to break the deadlock, and Hazard provided just that with a swerving shot from distance.
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A number of big names were on display on Sunday evening for either side. But it was largely players who did not belong to that elusive list that impressed. On the other hand, some of the more popular figures punched well below their weight and failed to rise to the occasion. Here are five hits and flops from this tightly fought battle.
#5 Hit: Renato Sanches (Portugal)
Although it came in a losing cause, Renato Sanches' performance against a strong Belgian midfield was spectacular. The 23-year-old seems to love the Euro stage, and while his campaign has come to an abrupt end this time around, he has made the most of his short stay.
On Sunday, he was once again the heart of the Portuguese team. Everything Portugal did went through him, while he repeatedly cut out any threats Belgium posed as well. He was hugely influential with and without the ball. Naturally, when the manager decided to take him off in the second half, it was viewed as a controversial decision.
#4 Flop: Diogo Jota (Portugal)
Coming into the match as one of Portugal's more in-form players, Diogo Jota disappointed massively with a very lackluster performance when his team needed him to step up the most. The Liverpool forward got himself into promising situations a couple of time, but he failed to deliver like he has done often in the past.
The biggest miss came from a great chance created by Cristiano Ronaldo in the second half that fell to Jota inside the box. The 24-year-old fluffed his lines disastrously and blasted the ball over to keep Belgium's lead intact.
On an evening where Ronaldo didn't find himself at the end of many chances, Portugal simply needed a better performance from Jota. But the former Wolves man couldn't live up to expectations.
#3 Hit: Thomas Meunier (Belgium)
The man who assisted the match-winning goal, Thomas Meunier belongs on the positive end of this list for different reasons. Playing as a wing-back in a 3-4-3 system is never easy. It requires a player to switch from defense to attack with great efficiency. One must never lose focus and know exactly when and what to do given the circumstances.
Meunier's performance was an example of that. While he recorded an assist, it was his defensive performance that caught the eye. The Belgian outjumped his opponent just about every single time he participated in an aerial duel. His tackles were also on point on most occasions as Belgium held on to a slender lead.
#2 Flop: Pepe (Portugal)
An ever-present in Portugal's squad for years now, Pepe has been Mr. Dependable at the back. The 38-year-old has tons of experience of playing and succeeding at the highest level of international football. However, his experience counted for very little when he came up against a rampant Belgium team on Sunday evening.
Pepe had a very tough time tracking Belgium's fluid front three. Each of the Belgian attackers offered Pepe a different problem to deal with, and the former Real Madrid defender just couldn't keep up. In the second half, he had clearly run out of energy. Romelu Lukaku's stamina and strength was too much for Pepe to cope with as the game progressed, and it showed.
#1 Hit: Thorgan Hazard (Belgium)
The man of the moment for Belgium. Thorgan Hazard has finally escaped the shadows of his elder brother on the grand stage and how! In what was a very tense and closely fought affair, Thorgan decided to steal all the limelight for himself with a sublime strike from distance to beat Rui Patricio in the Portuguese goal.
But it wasn't just his goal that warranted praise. Playing as a left wing-back, Thorgan was required to participate in a significant amount of defensive duties, and he did them very well. His tackling was extremely impressive against some tricky Portuguese attackers. Thorgan made a total of five tackles - more than any other Belgian.
