One Shining Moment
It was the most anticipated game in the round of 16, between the #1 ranked team in the World in Belgium and the defending Euro champions in Portugal, and it did not disappoint. In an aggressive, competitive, match that featured the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Romelu Lukaku, Kevin De Bruyne, and Eden Hazard, it was instead the younger Hazard brother, Thorgan, who shined the brightest.
Accounting for the only goal of the match, Thorgan Hazard sliced a right-footed shot into the bottom right corner in the 42nd minute just before halftime. This was Thorgan Hazard’s second goal of Euro 2020, his first coming in Belgium’s 2-1 win against Denmark in the group stages.
Portugal Controls the Game but Cannot Finish
Despite the 0-1 loss for Portugal, the red and green actually controlled the majority of the game. They had possession a whopping 58% of the time compared to Belgium’s 42% and outshot Belgium 23 to 6. In fact, Belgium’s only shot on target ended up being the only goal of the game. Additionally, Portugal completed 146 more passes than Belgium.
None of that mattered, considering Portugal could not generate high percentage shots on net and had just 4 shots on target themselves. Even Cristiano Ronaldo, who is still leading the Golden Boot race with 5 goals this tournament, struggled to find open space. Ronaldo had only 4 total shots in the match, 3 of which were blocked by an opposing player.
What’s Next For Belgium?
Belgium is set to play Italy in Munich, Germany on July 2nd. Both teams were considered in the top tier following the group stages, but both teams had difficulty generating offense in the knockout round. Belgium will also have to monitor the health of Kevin De Bruyne who left today’s game with an ankle injury, and Eden Hazard, who left with a hamstring issue.