Belgium defeats England in Russia and face Japan in last 16 Bel 1 Eng 0

England vs Belgium: Both sides have ensured their progression to the next round

England vs Belgium: It's wasn't the most thrilling of encounters, but it's certainly been better than a lot of people were expecting.

The first time in the tournament refree blew the whistle on exactly 45 minutes. 

The referee blew his final whistle and confirmed that England has been beaten for the first time since June 2017. England finish second in Group G and will meet a tough last-16 clash with Colombia next Tuesday. England lacked attacking fluidity needed to get the better of Belgium.

Adnan Januzaj sealed the win for Belgium in the second half, curling a beautiful shot over Pickford to inflict the first defeat for Gareth Southgate as England manager.

The defenders Gary Cahill, Phil Jones and Trent Alexander-Arnold were joined by Danny Welback in making their first appearances of Fifa World Cup 2018.

Somehow, the result is good for England, they'll face either Switzerland or Sweden if they're able to win over Colombia in Last-16.. As for Belgium, they will take on Japan in the last 16 before facing the winner of Brazil v Mexico if they make it to the quarter-finals

Live Commentary: England vs Belgium

MIn 90+3: Belgium has beaten England to become the Group G leaders. They will face Colombia in Group of 16. The results: Belgium 0 and England 1.

Min 86: Goalscorer Januzaj gets a huge round of applause from the Belgium fans as he makes way for Mertens

Min 83: England keep pushing forward and they enjoy a decent spell of possession. England gets a corner from the left flank. The ball is floats into the mixer and  a great strike from Welbeck is blocked by Fellaini.

Min 76: Time up for Arnold and Welback is replacing the youngster.

Min 75: Kompany replaces Vermaelen

Min 70: England are desperate to null the Belgium's lead. They are knocking ball from one flank to the other as they try to get one chance on goal. Harry Kane is warming up

Min 64: Belgium aren't interested in going forward since taking the lead, and they seem relatively content to sit back

Min 59: Vermaelen gets treatment for a cut on his head. He rose high with Vardy as they battled for the ball.

Min 50: Januzaj cuts in from the right, drops a shoulder to dodge Rose, and curls an unstoppable shot across Pickford and into the top left! What a wonderful goal.

Min 45:Alexander Arnold sends a low drive ball towards Belgium which does no harm to them. Cleared.

Min 42: England knock the ball around on the halfway line and then Loftus-Cheek sends a lovely cross into the penalty area. Delph gets the ball but Boyata is there to change the direction of the ball.

Min 33: Rose has been taken down by Dendoncker as he bursts down the left win. Refree books Dendoncker and awards England a free kick in a from a good angle.

Min 25: Belgium have enough time in the world to knock the ball around in the middle of the pitch as they enjoy a good spell of possession 

Min 22: Match is slowing sliping into Friendly Mode. But the crowd is unbelievable. The rising decibel is the only inspiring force in the stadium. They will demand the value of their money

Min 19: Free kick to England. Arnold takes and the ball is easily cleared by Chadli.  The first yellow card has been shown to Tielemans

Min 15: Only worry for the crowd is that after an energetic and bright start, this match should not turn into Denmark vs France. A annoyingly boring match. Let's hope for the positive.  

Min 12: Alexander-Arnold is wonderful down the right flank and wins England a corner. It's sent in deep and bounces out to Rashford, who shoots from 30 yards but has his effort deflected behind for another corner.

Min 6: Belgium gets a chance. Tielemans, just right of centre snaps a shot goalwards. It goes curling under the bar straight to Pickford. A brilliant strike.

Min 2: An early chance for England as a poor pass fails to find Vermaelen and goes to Vardy, who passes across. It finds Rashford but Courtois is there to save.

Min 1: England gets the game going. Their are 17 changes for both the teams which is a record in itself. England are in white tops and Belgium in red.

And here we gooo

England anthem first, followed by Belgium's anthem.

Players are standing in the tunnel. And after this the ususal rituals of Anthem and toss will be performed. Both teams have nothing to lose. 

England have made eight changes to their starting XI tonight, their second highest between games in a #WorldCup tournament, after Roy Hodgson made 9 between Uruguay and Costa Rica in 2014

Trivia: Trent Alexander-Arnold (19 years, 264 days), is only the fourth teenager to start a World Cup match for England, after Luke Shaw, Raheem Sterling and Michael Owen

Not Three Lions but Three Cubs: The average age of England's starting XI tonight is their second youngest ever in a major tournament match, after vs Sweden in the 2002 World Cup (25y 207d). 

The confirmed line-ups for England vs Belgium

England: Pickford, Alexander-Arnold, Stones, Cahill, Jones, Rose, Dier, Delph, Loftus-Cheek, Rashford, Vardy.

Belgium: Courtois, Dendoncker, Boyata, Vermaelen, Chadli, Dembélé, Fellaini, Tielemans, T. Hazard, Januzaj, Batshuayi.

Match Preview: England vs Belgium



 

Both sides have already ensured progression to the next round, and both coaches have said they want to win the game despite the possibility of an easier quarterfinal tie for the side finishing second.

Level on points, goal difference and goals scored, England currently top Group G thanks to having been shown one fewer yellow card than Belgium in their games against Tunisia and Panama. But with no amnesty on yellow cards until the semi-finals, it's highly unlikely either side will go actively looking for them in order to help their cause for second place.

 

Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku is an injury doubt after missing training on Monday and Tuesday after picking up a knock against Tunisia.

Coach Roberto Martinez is likely to rest Lukaku even if he is fit to play, explaining that the Manchester United forward knows the team is more important than individual accolades such as the Golden Boot.

Other key players such as defenders Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen could also be rested, meaning they may miss the chance to go up against club teammate Harry Kane.

England coach Gareth Southgate is sending mixed messages over whether or not the striker, who has scored five goals so far in Russia, will start.

"He is the captain and he knows he will be judged on how far we go as a team. He wants to contribute to a winning team and he knows it is not as satisfying if you are a player scoring goals and the team does not win," Southgate told Talksport on Tuesday.

A more likely scenario would be for Kane to start and then be replaced by Jamie Vardy in the second half. But there will be changes elsewhere, with Gary Cahill coming in at centre-back, Danny Rose starting at left-back and Fabian Delph making an appearance in midfield before a 48-hour round-trip to England to attend the birth of his third child.

Dele Alli could also make a return to action after missing the Panama match with a slight thigh strain, but with little pressure to secure a result against Belgium, he may be limited to an appearance off the bench.

Watch out for: Alexander-Arnold and Eden Hazard

As expected, England will make some changes without bringing much changes to the core of the team. We can expect Phil Jones, Gary Cahill and full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold to start.  In the front, Harry Kane is expected to start and will be looking to add to his tally of five goals in the tournament. 

Eden Hazard has a good tournament so far for Red Devils. Hazard will be relishing to add to the two goals he has already scored.

Probable England Team

Pickford; Jones, Stones, Cahill; Alexander-Arnold, Loftus-Cheek, Dier, Lingard, Rose; Rashford, Kane

Probable Belgium Team

Courtois; Vermaelen, Boyata, Alderweireld; Dembele, Fellaini, Chadli, Hazard, Tielemans, Hazard, Batshuayi

England vs Belgium: When and where to watch

Time: 11:30 PM (IST)

In today's Group G match, England vs Belgium match will take place in Kalinigrad Stadium on Thurday, June 28, 2018 at 11:30 PM (IST).

Free streaming details: England vs Belgium

England vs Belgium will be available for live streaming on Sony Liv also. And Both Airtel and Jio would broadcast the FIFA World Cup 2018 matches for free to their respective subscribers.

Previous meetings: The two sides have met on 21 occasions, with England getting the better of Belgium 15 times. They have played twice at World Cups, with a 4-4 draw back in 1954 and a 1-0 win for England in 1990.

England vs Belgium: Some facts

England’s 6-1 win over Panama was their biggest victory in a major tournament, while Belgium scored five goals in a single World Cup match for the first time in their 5-2 win over Tunisia.

* England striker Harry Kane leads the race for the World Cup Golden Boot with five goals so far, while Belgium counterpart Romelu Lukaku is level with Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo on four goals.

* Lukaku’s brace against Tunisia made him the highest scoring Belgian at major international tournaments, scoring seven goals across the 2014 World Cup, 2016 European Championships and the current tournament.

* The 25-year-old has scored 17 goals in his last 11 appearances for Belgium.

* Belgium playmaker Eden Hazard has been directly involved in 23 goals in his last 21 appearances for his nation, scoring 11 and providing 12 assists.

* England captain Kane’s hat-trick against Panama made him the third player for his country to score three goals in a single World Cup match after Geoff Hurst in 1966 and Gary Lineker in 1986.

* Kane is also the first player to score two or more goals in their first two World Cup appearances since Poland’s Grzegorz Lato in 1974.

* Both the sides are equal on points and goal difference but England are currently leading the group due to the team’s higher fairplay ranking.

* If the match ends in a draw, the team with the better fairplay ranking, decided by the number of red and yellow cards accumulated, will top the group. England have had two yellow cards so far, while Belgium have had three.

* The winner of the group will take on the runners up of Group H, which could be Japan, Senegal or Colombia. The runners up from the group will face the winners of Group H.