World Cup Now: What went wrong for Belgium in Group F?
Croatia and Belgium squared off in the final Group F matchup at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which ended in a scoreless draw.
With the draw, Croatia (1-2-0) advanced to the knockout stage and Belgium (1-1-1) was shockingly eliminated from the field.
Croatia dominated from the first whistle, taking a shot within seconds of the start of the match. On the other side, Romelu Lukaku came on in the second half only to miss four big chances for Belgium and seal its fate.
On the latest "World Cup Now," former USMNT players Jimmy Conrad and Sacha Kljestan broke down what went wrong for Belgium after a whirlwind match that featured seven saves and plenty of other nail-biting action.
Croatia vs. Belgium Highlights | 2022 FIFA World Cup
Conrad: It's disappointing. Belgium often has a great run in getting far in tournaments but never have the quality needed to get over the finish line or get into a final. 2014 World Cup? Quarterfinal. 2016 Euros? Quarterfinal. 2018 World Cup? Semifinal. 2020 Euros? Quarterfinal. They have all this talent. We talk about all their world-class players, but collectively they can't get it done. I wonder if that's on the manager, Roberto Martínez, for not getting more out of this group, or if that's just how it's always going to be with this collection of players.
Kljestan: I think in this tournament, Martínez didn't get the most out of this group by making some decisions that I don't agree with. Belgium only really showed up for one of their six halves throughout this tournament. It wasn't until there was 15 or 20 minutes left in this game that they actually started going for it and looking like the Belgium of old. I think Roberto Martínez will look back and really regret not playing Jeremy Doku more, not playing Hans Vanaken, not playing Zeno Debast in the back — not playing a lot of the young guys that are coming up that are very talented. Charles De Ketelaere didn't get that much playing time. Amadou Onana was the only young player who really stepped up in this tournament. Unfortunately, he took two yellow cards and was suspended, and then Romelu Lukaku was not entirely fit. I think Roberto Martínez's time has come. I think it's time for a new coach to step in and say goodbye to a lot of these older guys and move in with the new generation, which is very talented as well.
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Check out the full schedule for the World Cup and how to watch each match live here.
