It was one of the more anticipated matches of the day, between Belgium and England, and it was the hosts who triumphed over visiting Three Lions. Despite boasting a strong attack, England could not break down the Belgian defence. The Red Devils triumphed 2-0, due to goals from Youri Tielemans and Dries Mertens.
Toby Alderweireld had the last laugh over his club teammate Harry Kane as the forward could not muster a goal. Despite having a lot of creativity in the team, it wasn’t possible for England to get going.
The defeat puts an end to the UEFA Nations League campaign for the English side. They now have no chance of qualifying for the next round and that’s in large part due to the performance of the Belgian backline.
Toby Alderweireld, along with Jason Denayer and former Tottenham player Jan Vertonghen did an excellent job of marshalling the defence. They didn’t let anything go through them and this now puts their country in pole position to qualify for the semi-finals.
This type of display would have made Jose Mourinho happy as well as he will need his central defender at his best against Manchester City this upcoming weekend. As for Kane, it will provide a chance to bounce back and then maybe help get a win versus one of Spurs’ toughest opponents in the Premier League competition.
England will now have to pick up the pieces and wonder what went wrong. They still have one game left, at home to Iceland, and a win means they can avoid the bottom. If they lose, it will mean that they finish the group in the bottom slot and that is something that manager Gareth Southgate will definitely want to avoid.
As for Belgium, they will be making plans for the next round as they have more or less sealed their place. With a defence as strong as this, there is every chance that they can go even further in the competition.
Tottenham will be welcoming their players for Saturday’s game against City where Kane will once again be tasked with leading the line.
The challenge provided by the Belgian defence will put him in good stead for Saturday’s game. Before that though, both Alderweireld and Kane, on opposite ends of the spectrum, will want to finish the international break on a high.