Good start for the Red Devils at the World Cup
This is the third World Cup in a row for this golden generation still in search of a title. And for their first game in the qualifying group, the Red Devils began the tournament with a victory against Canada (1-0).
This first victory against Canada certainly didn’t come easy. Dominated for a good part of the match by the Canadians, the Red Devils could count on an excellent Thibaut Courtois as a last defense, notably for stopping a penalty, and on striker Michy Batshuayi, who scored a beautiful goal on one of few Belgian opportunities. In the end, we will mostly remember the 3 points propelling Belgium to the pole position in their qualifying group.
After the 2014 World Cup in Brazil (eliminated by Argentina in the quarterfinals) and 2018 in Russia (beaten by France in the semi-finals but victorious against England in the third-place play-off), the Belgian players will have to surpass themselves if they want to go even further in Qatar.
No longer the favourites as they were in the last World Cup, the Red Devils, led by coach Roberto Martinez, will certainly play with less pressure in this third World Cup in a row, a feat that few nations can boast.
Placed in Group F with Canada (a 1-0 win), Morocco (match Sunday 27/11 at 2pm) and Croatia (match Thursday 01/12 at 4pm), the Belgian national team does not have an easy draw and will have a lot of work to do to qualify for the last 16.
Here are the 26 Red Devils present in Qatar
Goalkeepers: Thibaut Courtois, Simon Mignolet, Koen Casteels.
Defenders: Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen, Leander Dendoncker, Wout Faes, Arthur Theate, Zeno Debast.
Wingers: Thomas Meunier, Timothy Castagne, Yannick Carrasco, Thorgan Hazard.
Midfielders: Axel Witsel, Youri Tielemans, Amadou Onana, Hans Vanaken, Kevin De Bruyne.
Forwards: Romelu Lukaku, Eden Hazard, Michy Batshuayi, Charles De Ketelaere, Jeremy Doku, Dries Mertens, Lois Openda, Leandro Trossard.