Sao Paulo: Belgium who had been installed by many pundits as dark horses in the 20th Fifa World Cup, will be keen to seal their place in the second round when they take on Russia in a Group H match at the Maracana on Sunday.
Russia will be desperate to pocket three points after sharing the spoils from an eminently winnable opening match against South Korea. Russian goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev almost gifted the tie to the Asian team with a monumental mistake.
As in the case of Belgium, salvation came from the bench with temperamental forward Aleksandr Kerzhakov bundling the ball home from close range to rescue a point for Russia.
Belgium overcame starting trouble to edge out Algeria 2-1 in their opening match and they can expect a tougher challenge from Fabio Capello’s team.
Algeria’s ultra-defensive tactics coupled with their forwards’ lack of killer instinct frustrated Belgium until the 70th minute. It appeared as though the North Africans would hold on to captain Sofiane Feghouli’s goal from the penalty spot.
However, super subs Marouane Fellaini and Dries Mertens popped up in time to save Belgium’s flushes. Coach Marc Wilmots attributed his team’s recovery to mental strength and he wouldn’t like to rely on resilience and last-gasp heroics again. He can draw strength from trump card Eden Hazard’s stellar performance in the second half of the Algeria match.
The Chelsea midfielder was listless early on before he came alive by pinging precise passes. He supplied the final ball for Mertens’ winner. Wilmots defended Romelu Lukaku stoutly even though the forward endured a miserable opener. The strapping player didn’t have a touch inside the Algerian box in around an hour he spent on the pitch.
A positive result against the Belgians will secure a place for Capello’s team in the next round. Do they need a stronger reason to give their all?
