Belgium had to rely on 19-year-old Divock Orgi’s strike late on as the Red Devils qualified for the last 16 after edging past Russia at the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro.
The majority of the encounter will certainly not be remembered by the fans, with the game monotonous at times, but in the end it was Eden Hazard’s individual brilliance which allowed Origi to secure the win and send Marc Wilmots’ side through to the knockout stages.
It was a crushing blow for Fabio Capello’s Russia, but arguably a fair reflection of the game, as they hardly engineered anything for themselves during the match, and they are now on the brink of elimination from the showpiece event.
Neither side were able to create anything particularly dangerous in the opening exchanges,with Belgium in particular displaying an almost non-existent midfield. Napoli’s Dries Mertens looked the most lively of all players up front but failed to break the deadlock after some moments of promising individual play.
But it was Russia who could have had an early lead when striker Victor Fayzulin fired in a low curling shot, but Thibaut Courtois made a strong save to keep the score level at he break.
It took until the final minutes for the game to spring into life, with Chelsea midfielder Eden Hazard the creator. The 23-year-old had a quiet game but suddenly burst into life at the death, dribbling his way past a couple of defenders before laying a perfectly weighted cutback for Origi to slot home.
Belgium should have been 2-0 up by the final whistle but Kevin Mirallas missed a glorious opportunity after being brilliantly setup by Hazard in injury time.
Also see:
Belgium: World Cup 2014 Team Page
Russia: World Cup 2014 Team Page
World Cup 2014 Matches – Fixtures & Results
World Cup 2014 Player & Team Stats
World Cup 2014 Group Tables
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