Croatia qualify with a draw and put an end to the ‘promising Belgian generation’

The 2022 World Cup marked the end of the team that since the beginning of the last decade has been known as “the promising generation of Belgium”.

With poor football and only one goal scored, Belgium, semifinalist in 2018, said goodbye to the Qatar tournament this Thursday (1st) with a 0-0 draw with Croatia, in Group F.

The Croatians, finalists four years ago, advanced with the second position. Morocco, by defeating Canada by 2 to 1, was in first place.

Belgium scored only once, against Canada, in the opener. Match in which he won, but was dominated. After that, they lost to Morocco 2-0 and could have conceded more goals.

Of the 11 starters who entered the field this Thursday, eight are over 30 years old. Key players for the team since the beginning of the generation, like Lukaku and Carrasco, have 29. Eden Hazard, who came on in the final minutes, has 31.

It’s hard to imagine how this renewal will happen under coach Roberto Martínez. It was the worst Mundialista campaign since the emergence of this team, which also reached the quarterfinals in Brazil, in 2014.

The classification means the continuity of Luka Modric, 37. Best in the world and in the 2018 Cup, he announced that it will be his last World Cup.

With Morocco’s victory over Canada, it was clear from the start that Belgium needed to win to stay in the World Cup. But it looked like Croatia needed the goal.

It was the 2018 finalist who played in the attack in the opening stage. Perisic almost opened the scoring in the first minute. To zero people’s surprise, Luka Modric controlled the game in midfield and coordinated his team’s offensive actions. The surprise is that Kevin De Bruyne didn’t do the same for Belgium.

In desperation to get his team to play football that looked like it did in Brussels, Martínez changed the pieces. The biggest change was the departure of striker Michy Batshuayi (and his inexhaustible ability to miss goals) for the entry of Leandro Trossard, from Brighton (ING).

It looked as if Croatia would exercise their superiority in the 15th minute when referee Anthony Taylor awarded a penalty after Carrasco brought Kramaric down in the penalty area. Modric immediately tucked the ball under his arm. The Croatian crowd in the stadium started chanting “Luka! Luka!” when the midfielder put the ball in for the kick.

Called by VAR, the referee looked at the play again and went back.

Belgium played without any urgency and, apart from Trossard’s shot after De Bruyne’s pass, did nothing before the break. The need to score the saving goal made coach Roberto Martínez, threatened with dismissal, put Romelu Lukaku on the bench due to injury.

It should have been salvation. He ended up burying Belgium by missing three amazing chances to score. The last one at 45 minutes, already without a goalkeeper, in which he was unable to push the ball into the goal with any part of his body.

His body expression, with his body bent over, hands on his knees and looking at the lawn, said everything about the situation experienced by Belgium, the early elimination in the World Cup and the future of the selection.