FIFA World Cup 2014: Belgium vs USA

Belgium overcame a spirited USA in the final round-of-16 match of the 2014FIFA World Cup in Salvador. In an entertaining and attacking game of football which stretched to extra time, it was midfielder Kevin de Bruyne who finally broke the deadlock in the 93rdminute. Romelu Lukaku then extended Belgiums lead but just when the Europeans looked like strolling towards a quarterfinals berth, Bayern Munich youngster Julian Green got a goal back for USA. It was a thrilling finale to a match which embodied all the emotions associated with the World Cup finals. Here are the five main talking points from the match:

#1 Match of the tournament thus far?

The atmosphere was contagious. It was electric; it was a quintessential Brazilian carnival. The football didn’t disappoint either. With both teams putting defensive responsibilities on the backburner, the final second round clash of the 2014 FIFA World Cup was an absorbing duel which made for a breathtaking viewing.

A majority of the game was played end-to-end with wave after wave of attacks coming with breathless tempo, speed and intensity. Belgium missed a plethora of chances and ended up taking 27 shots at goal, 16 of which were wonderfully stopped by Tim Howard. USA too had a number of chances as they committed a number of players forward.

An already absorbing affair shifted up a couple of gears in extra time as Belgium finally broke the deadlock and then extended their lead. But the USA got a goal back almost immediately, resulting in a frenzied and chaotic final ten minutes of the match. Brazil 2014 hasn’t been short of scintillating matches and this memorable game is certainly right at the top of the list.

#2 Man of the match - Tim Howard

It has been a World Cup to remember for goalkeeping heroics, be it Guillermo Ochoa, Keylor Navas or Vincent Enyeama. USA goalkeeper Tim Howard added himself to that illustrious list with an incredible display of shot-stopping that left fans all over the world mesmerized.

Howard made an astonishing sixteen saves during the course of two hours, which amazingly is the highest number of saves made by any goalkeeper in the history of the World Cup finals. Howard thwarted relentless number of Belgian attacks and kept his side in the game.

This breathtaking performance by the Everton goalkeeper will definitely go down in World Cup history books as one of the best ever and will remain a moment to savor for American football fans for a very long time to come.

#3 Miss of the tournament- Chris Wondolowski

It was the second minute of added time after the regulation ninety minutes. Omar Gonzalez’ aimless chip into the box found Jermaine Jones’s header who astutely guided it onto the path of Chris Wondolowski. The header caught the Belgian defence flat-footed and Wondolowski was left with a simple pass into a virtually empty goal.

But the San Jose Earthquakes winger somehow managed to sky the ball over the top of the bar. An onrushing Courtois might have distracted the American but it wasn’t a good enough excuse for that appalling miss. With the flag staying down in spite of suspicions of offside, that goal would have taken the USA to their first quarterfinals in 12 years.

This howler will haunt the players and the entire football following population of the USA for a long time to come, more so after their heartbreaking defeat in extra time.

#4 USA played with too much freedom

Jurgen Klinsmann had set up his team to go all out in attack; there are no two ways about that. The freedom given to the two full-backs to advance into opposition territory at every possible opportunity however had one serious drawback- it left a lot of space for the Belgian front players to exploit and terrorise the American backline.

If not for Tim Howard’s heroics, USA would have paid dearly for their no holds barred attacking approach. It made for an entertaining watch but the degree of regularity with which the Americans were committing men forward was a tactician’s nightmare.

Belgium, known for their ruthless counter-attacking game, exploited the Americans but couldn’t take full advantage of the space afforded to them. Kevin de Bruyne alone created ten chances throughout the match, the highest in a World Cup game since 1982. One could understand Klinsmann’s love for attacking football, but a certain level of restraint and control might have saved Tim Howard his exertions.

#5 Belgium need a fully-fit Lukaku in the next match

Belgium tried 38 shots on goal in the match, 27 of which were on target, but they were unable to score until the 93rd minute, moments after a certain Romelu Lukaku had come on to the pitch to replace fellow striker Divock Origi. Lukaku’s much-needed physicality was the final piece of the jigsaw that the Belgians needed to break the American resistance.

The attacking trio of Origi, Hazard and de Bruyne had probed in the opposition’s penalty area all match but lacked the cutting edge. USA’s defence held strong for a majority of the game, until Lukaku came on and shrugged off opposition defenders to first set up Kevin de Bruyne and then slot home Belgium’s second to push them into the next round.

Take nothing away from the tireless efforts of Origi, but the 19-year old often showed his lack of experience in terms of positioning, composure and finishing. Lukaku’s strength and robustness is an invaluable asset for Marc Wilmots, who would love to have his first-choice striker back in the starting eleven against their quarterfinal opponents Argentina.