Belgium head to Brazil on a high after Tunisia victory
A late Dries Mertens goal gave Belgium a 1-0 victory over Tunisia in their final World Cup warmup friendly on Saturday, ensuring they go to Brazil on a high note after a match temporarily halted by hail.
|Last Updated: Jun 08, 2014, 12:42 PM IST|Source: AFP
Brussels: A late Dries Mertens goal gave Belgium a 1-0 victory over Tunisia in their final World Cup warmup friendly on Saturday, ensuring they go to Brazil on a high note after a match temporarily halted by hail.
The home side dominated possession, but for much of the encounter they barely tested Tunisia`s keeper and had only a few tame shots and a couple of missed half-chances even after the visitors had a man sent off with almost half an hour to play.
Only in the 89th minute did substitute Nacer Chadli find Mertens in space in the penalty area and he calmly stroked it in with his right foot.
One note of concern was that striker Romelu Lukaku, who only came on for the last half hour, hobbled off in injury time.
"Romelu has difficulty walking. It`s a big bruise. I think it`ll be three or four days. We`ll do some additional tests tomorrow," Belgium coach Marc Wilmots said.
Belgium, with a loss and a draw against Tunisia from their two previous matches, chose to rest regular midfielders Kevin De Bruyne and Axel Witsel and, for most of the match, Lukaku.
Until the goal, the highlight of a tight contest was arguably a fierce hailstorm midway through the first half with hailstones as large as golf balls battering the pitch, forcing a 45-minute pause.
After play resumed, both 19-year-old striker Divock Origi and Kevin Mirallas were put through, but failed to find the target.
Tunisia, managed by Belgium coach Wilmots`s predecessor Georges Leekens, had tight defensive and deep midfield lines with only one man up front.
When Tunisia`s Issam Jemaa was sent off for a second yellow card in the 64th minute, they played without an obvious striker, and withstood wave after wave of Belgian attacks.
"It was the first time playing against a five-man defence. It was like a wall in front of us," Wilmots said, adding it was unlikely to be repeated at the World Cup and that first opponents Algeria pose a greater attacking threat.
Tunisia, who lost a World Cup qualifying playoff to Cameroon, had beaten World Cup finalists South Korea in Seoul 10 days earlier.
Coach Leekens was reluctant to be drawn on Belgium`s chances.
"I`m also a proud Belgian and we have a good team but I won`t say how far they`ll get. I think it`s best to avoid Germany in the second round," he said.
Belgium fly to Sao Paolo on Tuesday, with a practice match behind closed doors against the United States pencilled in for Thursday.
Belgium face Algeria in Belo Horizonte on June 17, with Russia and South Korea their other group H opponents.
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.