Belgium-Portugal 1-0, the report cards: Lukaku vs CR7 without treble. Thorgan Hazard protagonist

Result: Belgium – Portugal 1-0
42’ T. Hazard

BELGIUM

Courteous 6.5 – After having saved him a free-kick, at the end of the first half he wins the scream of Cartuja with a number against Ronaldo. More committed to the second half, a couple of interventions in the finale save the success.
Alderweireld 6 – On that side Portugal rarely pushes, if not in the very first bars. Throughout the entire meeting his becomes a rather quiet evening.
Entertainment 6,5 – Martinez chooses his experience at the center of defense. Ronaldo often passes by his parts, but he doesn’t seem to suffer from him that much. Only in the action of the admonition does he let himself go to an error. Half…
Vertonghen 6 – He often has to help Meunier by doubling down and in high aggression on Bernardo Silva. Thanks also to the bad evening of his neighbor, he never goes into suffering.
Meunier 6,5 – A mistake in his setup generates the clearest chance in the first half for Portugal. He is forgiven with an assist for Thorgan Hazard, although much of the credit goes to the latter. Well on the defensive stage.
Tielemans 6 – He returns after having breathed in the final match of the group, for large sections of the match he is suffocated by the Portuguese compactness. When it turns on, however, it shows the quality it has.
Witsel 6,5 – His weight is fundamental especially in the last quarter of the match. There Belgium, huddled in defense of the leading goal, needs those who know how to stop. He is a specialist.
T. Hazard 7 – He calibrates the movements so as not to leave the side too exposed, he does it perfectly in the 42nd minute, when he bags with a wonderful right to effect. Everyone is waiting for Lukaku, CR7 or brother: tonight, however, he is the protagonist (from 95 ‘ Dendoncker St.).
Debruyne 6 – A few meters ahead of the last race, the very closed defensive structure of the Portuguese (almost always six behind) limits their imagination. He scares his country by leaving at 48 ‘after hearing something (from 48’ Mertens 5,5 – He takes the place of De Bruyne also on the pitch, but the comparison with the Manchester City playmaker does not hold up. Also because the Napoli striker enters when his team stops attacking).
E. Hazard 6 – Martinez, or rather the whole of Belgium, is waiting for a real signal from him, that he could make a difference on the way. It does so, at least on a personality level, when De Bruyne comes out. The shape is what it is, yet, but there is character (from 88 ‘ Carrasco s.v.)
Luke 5.5 – It takes him over an hour to make his first pitch of the evening, high. Until then he had made himself valuable by engaging the Portuguese defense in duels that were anything but easy. Not very lucid the more the match goes on, in the second half he misses too much.
Coach: Martinez 6.5 – The game does not seem to be the best, also due to Portugal’s ability to tighten the lines and not give space to the Red Devils technicians. A blaze from the distance gives him the advantage in an evening in which the offensive proposal did not seem to be at its best. The defense, however, conceded little. With any luck, but he eliminated the defending champions.

PORTUGAL

Rui Patricio 6 – Some overconfidence when it comes to playing the ball with your feet. There is little he can do about Hazard’s ground-to-air missile that decides the game.
Dalot 5.5 – The main surprise when reading the bill only partially repays Fernando Santos’ confidence. It never breaks through.
Rùben Days 6 – Close to a draw on corner developments. He takes charge of Lukaku taking care to make him turn off the area. The clash between giants ends without losers or winners.
Pepe 6 – He helps his ward mate in marking Lukaku, holds a hit with Big Rom by leveraging his body and experience.
Warrior 6 – In the first half he does not propose much and the Portuguese maneuver suffers from his lack of thrust. It grows in the second half and the difference is visible.
João Moutinho 6 – Wrong a couple of controls but the game vision is excellent. Conquer many punishments with a profession. (from 55 ‘Joao Felix 6.5 – He makes his debut in the most difficult moment, he is not afraid of taking responsibility by becoming the first source of danger).
Straw 6 – Closing the lines of play and recovering balls is his mission. It fulfills it well, for the quality go elsewhere. (from 78 ‘ Danilo All).
Renato Sanches 6.5 – Ready, go, get rid of Tielemans with a large number. Play across the board, performing in a pair of superb snatches. (from 78 ‘ Sergio Oliveira sv).
Bernardo Silva 5 – Evanescent, too much is reflected in his talent. More beautiful than effective, confirms his allergy to the door. Zero conclusions. (from 56 ‘ Bruno Fernandes 6 – The great excluded enters with a great desire to prove his worth. Bring some healthy electricity).
Ronaldo 5 – He hides for long stretches of the match, before warming up Courtois’ gloves with a fireball on a free kick. It will remain the only ring of a performance below expectations. The King is forced to abdicate.
Diogo Jota 5.5 – He immediately gets a good chance but he chokes too much. He tries to redeem himself with a couple of flashes but always lacks precision (from 70 ‘ Andrè Silva 6 – Inside to fill the area, help the team play better).
Coach: Santos 5 – He does not give up the dribble, but the phrasing is too slow to worry a non-transcendental Belgium. He tries to recover it by relying on the quality of the changes but the decision to call out Palhinha and Renato Sanches, hitherto among the best, is perplexing.

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