Goal

List of goalscorers

0 - 1
48'
G. Haraguchi
0 - 2
52'
T. Inui
J. Vertonghen
69'
1 - 2
M. Fellaini
74'
2 - 2
N. Chadli
94'
3 - 2
Press

Match report in news

  • 94'
    FT: Belgium 3-2 Japan. What a game! A goalless first half was made up for with an action-packed second period as Belgium overturned a two-goal deficit with the last kick of the game to ensure their place in the last eight where they will face Brazil. The result was cruel on the Japanese, who were a breath of fresh air with their attacking approach, only for it to eventually prove their undoing.
Goal
Goaaaaaal!
de Bélgica en el 94'
  • 94'
    GOAL! BELGIUM! CHADLI! 3-2! Oh it's so cruel. Courtois claims the corner and sets De Bruyne away on the counter, he spreads it wide for Hazard on the right and list low cross is stepped over by Lukaku to give Chadli a tap-in at the far post.
  • 94'
    Honda has a go and it isn't bad at all as Courtois is forced to parry it away for a corner. Plenty of swazz on that one!
  • 92'
    Kompany fouls Osako 35 yards out and Japan will have a chance to get the ball in the box.
  • 90'
    CLOSE! Nagatomo's cross from the left if deflected towards his own goal by Witsel, but Courtois makes the save down to his right.
  • 90'
    4 minutes added on. If we don't see a goal there'll be another 30.
  • 87'
    Vertonghen has a go from 25 yards and Kawashima parries his effort into the path of Fellaini, who is mercifully offside!
  • 86'
    CHANCE! Kawashima is forced into to back-to-back saves as both Chadli and Lukaku see headers kept out by the stopper.
  • 84'
    CHANCE! Honda is slipped in with a wonderful reverse pass but he can't get his effort at the near post on target. This game could go either way!
Substitution

Substitution

at Japón
  • 81'
    Honda is on for Shibasaki for Japan. Can the legend produce one more star turn tonight?
  • 80'
    More set-piece danger for Japan as Kompany's header back into the mixer is headed clear.
  • 75'
    Belgium are robbed of possession and Inui is almost in but Meunier recovers to block his effort. What a game this is turning into!
Goal
Goaaaaaal!
de Bélgica en el 74'
  • 74'
    GOAL! BELGIUM! FELLAINI! 2-2! Hazard stands a ball up in the middle and the towering midfielder rises higher than anyone else to head beyond Kawashima and level the scores!
Goal
Goaaaaaal!
de Bélgica en el 69'
  • 69'
    GOAL! BELGIUM! VERTONGHEN! 1-2! More than a few question marks over Kawashima here! He makes a poor punch from a corner to fail to relieve the pressure on his side, before somehow letting Vertonghen's header from pretty much the byline loop over his head and into the far corner! Belgium have a lifeline!
  • 69'
    HUGE CHALLENGE! Maya Yoshida makes a wonderful block to prevent Lukaku from turning Meunier's low cross from the right goalwards.
  • 66'
    Meunier curls over first-time from the edge of the box.
Substitution

Substitution

at Bélgica
  • 65'
    Fellaini and Chadli replace Mertens and Carrasco for Belgium.
  • 64'
    CHANCE! Sakai gets to the byline down the right after a lovely one-two. Courtois manages to kick his low cross away and Osako can't convert the loose ball first-time.
  • 62'
    CHANCE! Got to score those Rom! Meunier crosses from the right and Lukaku gets inbetween Shoji and Yoshida at the near post, but despite being completely unmarked six yards out he can only head wide of the far post!
  • 57'
    Carrasco drives an effort high over the crossbar from the edge of the box. Belgium need to find a way back into this one.
  • 57'
    Japan are everywhere at the moment! They smell blood!
  • 54'
    Meunier's ball over the top is too strong for Lukaku and Kawashima gathers.
Goal
Goaaaaaal!
de Japón en el 52'
  • 52'
    GOAL! JAPAN! INUI! 0-2! Pick that one out! Coutrois' 6'6" frame didn't come in much use there as Takashi Inui drives a powerful low effort beyond the stopper and into the far corner from 25 yards. Japan are in dreamland! Belgium are stunned!
Goal
Goaaaaaal!
de Japón en el 48'
  • 48'
    GOAL! JAPAN! HARAGUCHI! 0-1! Haraguchi is slipped clear with a wonderful ball from Shibasaki and he performs a cheeky shake of the hips to buy himself a yard before firing low beyond Courtois and into the far corner! Now the question is can they hold out?
  • 46'
    Here we go again! Japan get us back underway here. Could they produce another shock?
  • 45'
    HT: Belgium 0-0 Japan. Nothing to choose between the sides at the break. Belgium have had all the ball and looked the more dangerous, but a couple of counters from the 'Blue Samurai' also threatened to create chances for the underdogs.
  • 45'
    Mertens curls straight into the arms of Kawashima from range in what could be the final act of the half.
  • 45'
    1 minutes added on.
  • 44'
    CLOSE! A huge stroke of luck for Thibaut Courtois! Inui gets the slightest off touches on Nagatomo's low cross from the left and the Belgian goalkeeper briefly lets it slip through his legs before gathering just inches from the line. However, replays showed Inui was offside in the build-up regardless.
  • 42'
    Nagatomo does very well to head away a dangerous cross at the far post.
Card

Yellow card

a Japón
  • 40'
    The first booking of the game goes to Shibasaki for clattering Hazard on halfway after the Belgian was simply too quick for his opposite number.
  • 36'
    Hazard finds himself in a promising position in the left-hand channel but his effort is blocked before Witsel blazes over from 25 yards.
  • 35'
    Japan threaten again on the counter after a Belgian move breaks down. This game is by no means a foregone conclusion!
  • 31'
    CHANCE! Japan this time! Kagawa escapes the attentions of his marker down the left and crosses to the far post but Inui can only head straight at Thibaut Courtois. Signs of life from the 'Blue Samurai'!
  • 28'
    De Bruyne swings a ball from deep out on the left to the far post where Kompany meets it once again but he can only send the ball flashing across the six-yard box with no red shirt in sight. A strong spell for the favourites this.
  • 27'
    CHANCE! Belgium have woken up now as Kawashima punches away a fierce Hazard effort from the edge of the box.
  • 27'
    CHANCE! Hazard races away down the left and sprays the ball out to Mertens. He tees up De Bruyne first time but he scuffs his effort and it is cleared.
  • 26'
    CHANCE! Meunier crosses form the right and Lukaku gets across his man, but he is just eased off balance as he looks to flick home from six yards and a combination Nagatomo and Kawashima managers to end the danger.
  • 21'
    De Bruyne fizzes this one in towards the penalty spot for an onrushing Mertens, but he can't make contact with an effort and the ball is cleared.
  • 20'
    Another Lukaku effort, from the edge of the box this time, is deflected over the bar for a corner.
  • 18'
    Kompany at the far post seems to be a tactic for Belgium, who boast a huge height advantage over their opponents. No dice this time though as he is denied a clear header before scuffing an effort into the turf and well wide.
  • 17'
    Meunier heads the ball down for Lukaku and he does well to bring it down, turn and fire low but his effort is deflected wide for a corner.
  • 16'
    Belgium take the corner short and look for Kompany at the far post but nothing comes of it.
  • 16'
    Witsel takes aim left-footed form 25 yards but it is deflected high over Kawashima's crossbar.
  • 14'
    Sakai dives in on Carrasco right on the edge of his own box when he really has no need to, but the Belgian does his opposite number a favour by staying on his feet.
  • 10'
    Osako claims to have been dragged down by Vertonghen when attempting to attack Inui's ball in, but he is waved to his feet.
  • 9'
    Carrasco attempts to burst into the box but he is crowded out by Japanese bodies.
  • 7'
    Inui gets away down the left and crosses low but his centre is hooked clear.
  • 4'
    Yoshida swoops in to head away Meurnier's delivery from the right with Lukaku sniffing.
  • 1'
    An early effort from Japan as Belgium can only clear a long ball as far as Shinji Kagawa, but his low effort from 20 yards fizzes narrowly wide.
  • 1'
    We're off! Belgium get us underway here!
Start of match

Start of match

  • PRVW
    The players take to the field here in Rostov and we'll be under way in no time!
  • PRVW
    Warm-ups are coming to a close here as we close in on kick-off!
  • PRVW
    Here's how these two sides have fared recently going into this one:
  • PRVW
    Since 2010, Keisuke Honda has scored (four) or assisted (three) seven of Japan's last 10 goals at the World Cup. He has one goal and one assist to his name at the 2018 tournament despite playing only 38 minutes.
  • PRVW
    Romelu Lukaku has scored 23 goals in 20 appearances for Belgium under manager Roberto Martinez, scoring four goals from four shots on target at this year’s World Cup. Alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, he was the only player in the group stages to score with his right foot, left foot and head.
  • PRVW
    Here's how the teams arrived a little earlier:
  • PRVW
    Belgium are unbeaten in their last 22 games (W17 D5), their last defeat dating back to September 2016 against Spain (0-2). As of the end of the group stages, only Spain were on a longer run amongst the 32 teams at the 2018 World Cup (23 games).
  • PRVW
    Belgium scored more goals than any other team in this year’s World Cup group stages (9). They were also one of three teams to win all three of their games (with Croatia and Uruguay).
  • PRVW
    Belgium have won only one of their five encounters with Japan (D2 L2), although that came in their last meeting in November 2017 (1-0, goal by Romelu Lukaku).
  • PRVW
    Another very predictable side from the Japanese as captain Makoto Hasebe returns to the team, along with Takashi Inui and Yuya Osako after they were rested against Poland.
  • PRVW
    Japan; Kawashima; Sakai, Yoshida, Shoji, Nagatomo; Shibasaki, Hasebe; Haraguchi, Kagawa, Inui, Osako.
  • PRVW
    No shocks in the Belgium side as Vincent Kompany returns to action after coming off the bench against England on Thursday. The rest of the big guns are recalled expected as the star-studded outfit look to continue their World Cup journey.
  • PRVW
    Belgium: Courtois; Alderweireld, Kompany, Vertonghen; Meunier, Witsel, De Bruyne, Carrasco; Mertens, Lukaku, Hazard.
  • PRVW
    Belgium boss Roberto Martinez: "We played a very entertaining game in Bruges not long ago. There's been a change of coach but not a real change in the squad. They're very well organised, dynamic... technically, Japanese football is very strong and we expect a really competitive team. There won't be any big surprises."
  • PRVW
    Japan boss Akira Nishino: "Japan had fantastic performances to reach the round of 16 (in 2002 and 2010), but those teams were exhausted by that stage, there wasn't anything left, especially in 2002. This is the third time. We have been very tactical to get to this stage, especially in the third match. We have the spirit and mentality. Maybe Belgium feel the tournament is starting after their three wins, but I'd like to feel we are on a par with them."
  • PRVW
    Japan have never before made it to the quarter-finals of a World Cup and face a huge task to do so today against a team of whom much is expected after they won three out of three in the group.
  • PRVW
    Belgium are the heavy favourites going into this one, but they face a dangerous Japan side with nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Info

Pre-match

02 July 2018, 20:00

Referee: Malang Diedhiou

Stadium: Rostov Arena

  • PRVW
    Hello and welcome! It's a case of 'here's what you could have won' for England tonight as Belgium take on Japan in Rostov in the last-16 of the World Cup.