It can be said that Germany - or the domestic leagues at least - had a hand in their own shock 2-1 World Cup defeat to Japan. Image: Japan's Ritsu Doan (right) plays his club football in Germany, as do a number of his team-mates He pledged he would bow out of the game if Croatia win the World Cup, but there was little indication from this stalemate to suggest that eventuality is likely.īen Grounds How Japan's victory was cultivated in Germany's backyard He dropped deeper and deeper to get onto the ball but Croatia lacked spark.Īt 37, Modric remains a maestro in the Real Madrid midfield. Their best moments predictably hinged on Modric, who was given the freedom of the park, floating effortlessly from back to front, with football's traditional midfield roles seeming not to apply to Croatia's captain. Luka Modric, the 2018 Ballon d'Or winner, said before kick-off it was important to respect Morocco, describing their players as phenomenal and highly motivated - yet he struggled to impose himself in a Croatia side that appears to be regressing. Image: Croatia's Luka Modric was the 2018 Ballon d'Or winnerĬroatia's World Cup qualification was smooth and they topped their Nations League group ahead of France, but having failed to score past Morocco, the bookmakers will feel vindicated in having them as outsiders in Qatar. Jack Wilkinson Croatia and Modric show signs of regressing They got away with one on this occasion, but there was nothing to suggest the same would happen against better opposition. Had Canada possessed a striker with the same quality as Alphonso Davies then Belgium would have suffered the same fate as Argentina and Germany.
At the back, Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld, two defenders revered in their prime, were constantly tormented by the Canadian attack. Michy Batshuayi was the match-winner but the sight of the former Chelsea and Crystal Palace striker leading the line shone a light on their overdependence on injury-prone Romelu Lukaku.
It may seem premature to reach such a conclusion one game into a tournament for a nation who have the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Eden Hazard and Thibaut Courtois in their ranks, but concerns over Belgium's credentials are myriad. This World Cup was billed as the last chance for Belgium's golden generation to do it on the big stage, but their underwhelming, disjointed debut in Qatar raised the suggestion that chance may have already passed.
Having dodged an opening-night shock at the hands of Canada he had every right to focus on the positives, but scratch beneath the surface of the result and alarm bells will almost certainly be ringing. Nick Wright Belgium are not a team to be feared England captain Kane to undergo ankle scan
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