Final Scoreline for Match 59 (ROUND OF 8 #3):
ARGENTINA - 1
(Higuain 8')
BELGIUM - 0
It had to happen. The predominantly defensive play by Belgium would turn and bite them in the butt, and it did just that.
Trailing 0-1 by the 8th minute itself when Gonzalo Higuain produced one of the best volleys seen in WC 2014 to take Argentina into the lead, the Belgians tried their best but were never in the race. Argentina were free-flowing and aggressive, and most parts of the match went with Belgium continuously hanging on to their defenses. Romelo Lukaku was introduced around the 60th minute, but he should have been a part of the starting eleven if Belgium had to have any chance against attacking play. As things stood, even their best 2 playmakers - Hazard and Lukaku - found the going tough. Couple of near-misses followed, but no cigar for Belgium.
Improvement was needed, specially against formidable opponents such as Argentina. But sadly, improvement was none. The Belgians need to rethink their strategies and build a better attacking formation soon, otherwise they will continue to be cannon fodder for the top teams.
Argentina impressed with their fantastic aggressive play tonight. The score could have been at least a couple of goals more in their favor, but they will take the 1-0 win. Now they await the result of the final Round of 8 encounter to find their semi-final opponents - when Netherlands take on Costa Rica later tonight.