Belgium has been one of the most talented and most steady teams in this World Cup. They showed us what a great roster they have in Game 3 against England when both sides used their second squad. Belgium won all three matches in the group stage and qualified as first in their group. They will now face Japan on Monday when the two teams will clash in the round of 16 of this World Cup. Japan should be feeling somewhat lucky for being here, as a single yellow card determined their qualification.
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Belgium came here as one of the middle-to-big teams with a lot of potential. They have failed to make an impact in a big competition, but they have a tremendous roster with absolutely no gaps in any position. They had it very easy in their first two matches against Panama and Tunisia, scoring three and five goals respectively. Coach Martinez used mostly the second squad in Game 3 against England, and so did their opponents. After a pretty dull first half, it was Januzaj who scored the only goal of the match after a tremendous move. Belgium now qualified as winners of their group, and they will have a great match-up against Japan.
Japan has made it thus far with grit, patience and some reasonable amounts of luck. They were fortunate when Colombia was left with ten men at just the 3rd minute of Game 1, resulting in a 2-1 win for Japan. They took advantage of the situation, but they fought hard against Senegal in Game 2. Their opponents took the lead twice, but Japan pulled back even on both occasions to get a draw. Japan was facing the already eliminated Poland in Game 3 looking for at least a point. But Poland scored the only goal of what was a pretty dull match and defeated Japan by 1-0. However, Senegal was also losing to Colombia at the same time, so the two teams were tied at 4 points with the same goals and goal difference. It all came down to which side had the least yellow cards, and it was Japan, by a single one.
Get more details: Belgium vs Japan World Cup Match-Up