5) Belgium’s big guns go missing when it really mattered
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They might have got away with it once after the opening defeat to the Italians, but there was no hiding place for Belgium’s big guns for an insipid second half performance. Despite an impressive first 20 minutes, Belgium’s attackers switched off for most of the second half. Their steep decrease in tempo against an energetic Welsh side was shocking.
Kevin De Bruyne’s set-pieces were tame, Eden Hazard was failing to craft his way through the Welsh defence using his fleet-footedness and the number of chances Romelu Lukaku managed to fluff could not be counted with fingers on one hand. Yannick Carrasco was once again under-par, while the aerially strong Marouane Fellaini could not test goalkeeper Hennessey with his headers – most of them being off target.
If Belgium’s ‘golden generation’ wish to compete for major international trophies, their best players will have to show up in these knockout games and assert themselves on the pitch when the nation really needs them too. Marc Wilmots’ side have suffered two successive quarter-final exits in major tournaments. One waits to see whether they actually have the character and the mental emotion to get through these crunch situations and contest in tournament finals.
