Yesterday evening, the Belgian national team officially kicked off their World Cup preparations at home against Portugal. The perfect moment to kick off my blog as well, especially since I was present in the stadium. It was already 7 years since the last time I went to a game of the Red Devils, so I was excited and hoping for a thrilling game between two top teams. Well, it turned out differently...
After a bit of chaos in the parking lot- which is an ever recurring problem around games of the Belgian national team- I made it to my seat only just in time, but luckily I was still on time for the honoring of Jan Vertonghen, who played his 100th game for the Belgian national team. Well done Jan, a player you can always rely on! Belgium started with a team which is very likely going to be the starting eleven on the World Cup- although the absent Witsel will probably be preferred to Dembele in midfield. The big absentee on Portugal's side was of course Cristiano Ronaldo, who was given some rest after the Champions League final I assume. Quite a disappointment in advance, because you don't get to see a 5 time Ballon d'Or winner every weekend.
After a minute of silence to respect the victims of the shooting incident in Liège last Tuesday, the game kicked off. I was pleased to see the Belgians took an energetic start and dominated the first 10-15 minutes, with De Bruyne and Hazard leading the way as you expect from them. That didn't lead to any clear chances, because the crosses of Carrasco and Meunier couldn't reach Lukaku, who had a difficult night. Portugal gradually took more control with Carvalho and Joao Mario bossing the midfield, but besides a few shots from distant, they couldn't trouble Courtois too much.
Around the half hour, the game finally came to live when Carrasco got himself free in the box and scored... at least that was what it looked like from where I was sitting, but the shot went wide. Portugal had a few good opportunities with Bernardo Silva and right at the end Gelson Martins, but he couldn't keep his cool in front of the goal. Scoreless at the break, and Belgium couldn't complain with that score.
The second half had to be better, and coach Martinez brought on 4 new players: Benteke for Lukaku, Fellaini for Dembele, Januzaj for Mertens and Chadli for Carrasco. The substitutions seemed to bring a new dynamic in the first ten minutes- jubilee Vertonghen forced goalkeeper Beto to a fine save- but the level of play dropped very quickly (again). Portugal didn't create anything either, so I can summarize the second half in three words: a dull affair. Only thing worth mentioning is the injury of Kompany (again). Fingers crossed it is not too bad, but with Kompany you can unfortunately never be certain anymore he can stay fit for the whole tournament, and the replacements in the defense aren't on the same level- besides Vermaelen, but he is also a guarantee for injuries.
In conclusion, this first friendly game learns there is still need for improvement. I do not want to be too negative either, because Portugal is a good team (the European champions after all). But if we want to get far at the World Cup, we are going to have to beat those big teams as well. And that never looked the case yesterday. I can't deny I went home with feelings of slight disappointment.