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Belgium stun Brazil to set up semi-final showdown with France

By Agencies
July 07, 2018

KAZAN, Russia: Brazil’s run at the World Cup ended in stunned silence on Friday, as Belgium eliminated the five-time world champions, 2-1, in Kazan. The win was as deserved as it was shocking: Brazil had been among the best teams left in a field that already had seen out pre-tournament favourites like Germany and past champions like Spain and Argentina.

Belgium took the lead against the run of play in the 13th minute, when Brazil’s Fernandinho turned a corner kick into his own net. Brazil, which had had the better of play until the goal, seemed stunned by its first deficit of the tournament. But it soon got worse: Kevin de Bruyne buried a long shot through a group of Brazilian defenders in the 31st minute.

Shocked to be behind by a goal, Brazil seemed absolutely flummoxed to be down by two. Belgium’s physical play also knocked the Brazilians off their stride again and again. And when Brazil did find a way through, its shots either were blocked by scrambling Belgians or pushed away by goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who had a strong game that included several diving saves and a last-minute leaping one to deny Neymar.

Brazil made the final minutes interesting when the substitute Renato Augusto converted a header in the 76th minute to cut the deficit to 2-1, but — pressed on by a pro-Brazil crowd — the Selecão never found the second they needed. Brazil’s elimination, and the exit of Uruguay at the hands of France earlier in the day, guarantees the tournament will have a European champion. The France-Belgium winner will face the survivor of the side of the bracket that plays Saturday: Sweden vs. England, and then host Russia against Croatia.

It also raised the odds for a first-time champion. France (1998) and England (1966) are the only teams left who have previously won a World Cup.

Brazil’s defeat, four years after it was hammered in the semi-finals by Germany on home soil, will be tough for it to swallow. Brazil entered its game against Belgium riding three straight shutouts and 310 scoreless minutes by its defence. With teams like Germany and Spain and arch rival Argentina long gone, its fans had come to see the team’s first world championship since 2002 as something of a destiny this summer.

But Belgium did everything right on Friday: it muscled Brazil’s playmakers off the ball and counterattacked at pace. Safely in front at halftime, it merely double down on those tactics — holding Brazil at bay on one end, and then tormenting it with breakouts by Eden Hazard and De Bruyne at the other whenever it could.

The Belgians swallowed one another in hugs at the final whistle, celebrating a new high-water mark in the country’s soccer history.

Many of the Brazilians just sank to their knees when the game ended, shocked that they had been denied — again — a title they see as they quadrennial destiny.