Belgium 2 USA 1
World Cup 2014 Belgium
USA
Marc Wilmots did what everyone seemed to be asking him to do and started the teenaged Divock Origi in this game, only for the Belgian to spend 90 minutes being foiled by Tim Howard like the rest of his team-mates.
The Everton goalkeeper played one of the games of his life in taking the tie to extra time, producing a string of saves to deny Origi, Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne, Dries Mertens and practically everyone else in a red shirt, yet the heroics ended as soon as the more experienced Romelu Lukaku replaced the young Lille player for the extra period.
A fresh Lukaku’s strength and pace were always likely to hurt a defence exhausted by keeping Belgium at bay for 90 minutes and it took only three minutes of extra time for the Chelsea player to make a difference. Found by Kevin Mirallas on the right, Lukaku simply shrugged off a challenge by Matt Besler and set off for the penalty area, crossing for De Bruyne to gather and finally slip a shot beyond Howard.
The deadlock broken, all Belgium then had to do to reach a quarter-final with Argentina was repulse the USA for the remaining 20-odd minutes, a task Lukaku managed to make easier with the second goal of the night, accepting De Bruyne’s invitation to run on to a diagonal pass and smashing the ball past Howard. The goalkeeper hardly deserved that, yet the USA still had enough in them to make a game of it when Julian Green pulled a goal back with a superb volley with virtually his first touch. For all Howard’s resistance, Thibaut Courtois arguably made the save of the evening in denying Clint Demspey an equaliser from point-blank range after a free-kick move six minutes from the end of extra time.
Even though De Bruyne’s and Lukaku’s goals made the crucial difference, Belgium had to defend doggedly for the last 10 minutes against a USA side who saved all their fighting spirit for extra time. The Americans gave everything, yet they will know it all might have been very different had their substitute Chris Wondolowski shown a little more composure at the end of 90 minutes. Almost unbelievably, after being under the cosh for so long, the USA had the chance to steal victory at the end of normal time, only for Wondolowski to miss from six yards when set up by Jermaine Jones.
Origi brought the first save from Howard as early as the first minute. He should perhaps have done better when released clear on goal by an astute pass from De Bruyne. Though he kept his shot on target he saw the goalkeeper save with his legs. Geoff Cameron was booked for what could only be described as a Stoke City challenge on Mertens before Jan Vertonghen rather needlessly conceded a corner and after a brief period of USA attacking Dempsey brought a save from Courtois.
Jürgen Klinsmann was forced into a change on the half-hour when Fabian Johnson pulled up with a hamstring injury and was replaced by DeAndre Yedlin. The substitute made a surging run down the right on one of his first forward forays and cut back a low cross that fell to Graham Zusi near the penalty spot, where the midfielder managed only a wild swing and an air shot. By the time Yedlin had juggled a bouncing ball on the edge of the area after a corner and sent a lob forward for Dempsey that Courtois had to leave his line quickly to punch away, it was tempting to wonder why Klinsmann had not had him on from the start.
Origi was not in the game much after a couple of early hints of promise but more worrying for Belgium was the fact that Hazard was also a peripheral figure. When the Chelsea player did receive the ball he generally looked to bring it inside and make space for a shot, a threat that the Americans seemed aware of from the number of defenders they kept putting in his way.
Howard was in action again at the start of the second half, acrobatically arching backwards to tip over Mertens’ goalbound header from De Bruyne’s cross. Fellaini shrugged off a couple of would-be tackles in muscular style before becoming over-confident and sending a shot well wide, then a great cross from the left by Vertonghen was missed in turn by De Bruyne, Besler and Origi, the last ending up in the net without the ball.
Belgium were playing a more patient passing game now and, when Origi hit the bar with a header from Mertens’ diagonal cross, it began to look unlikely that the USA would be able to hold out. Using the width of the pitch and eventually finding Hazard on the left, Origi was played into the area to cross for Mertens to poke a shot the wrong side of a post from close range.
Dempsey showed willing with a shot from the edge of the area of his own that Courtois saved before Howard came to the USA’s rescue again with a save from Origi after a typically direct Kevin Mirallas run was halted.
Again Origi could have been more clinical with a clear opportunity and the temptation to bring Lukaku on from the bench could only have grown when Mirallas failed to beat Howard in a one on one. In the end Wilmots waited until extra time and was vindicated, though only just. Of all the goals and games Salvador has seen in this tournament, this was perhaps the most exciting. Or at least the last half-hour was.
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