Brazil 2014: Belgium 1-0 Russia
Belgium booked a place in the Round of 16 after a late goal from Divock Origi earned a 1-0 victory over Russia in Group H. It was the second game in a row that Belgium needed a late score from a substitute to win.
Origi, who replaced the ineffective Romelu Lukaku in the 57th minute, is only 19 years old and became Belgium’s youngest ever World Cup goal scorer.
He combined with Eden Hazard down the left wing to engineer a counterattack in the 88th minute. Both goals in Belgium’s previous match, a 2-1 win over Algeria, came from second-half substitutes.
It took most of the match for Belgium to break down Russia’s disciplined defense. Coached by Fabio Capello, Russia set out to defend against the more talented Belgians. Using its experience, Russia held firm in the back and tried to counter attack. For most of the game, the Russians had the better chances going forward as Belgium lacked a sharp final touch.
Key changes and a swing of momentum late in the game however gave Belgium enough room to engineer its offense in narrow spaces and score the decisive goal as Russia appeared tired out.