December 01, (THEWILL) – Following a 0-0 draw with Croatia on Thursday, at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Belgium got knocked out of the World Cup in the group stage.
Roberto Martinez’s team needed to win in order to move to the round of 16, while Croatia needed to avoid losing, especially with Morocco’s 2-1 victory against Canada in another Group F match.
A far more exciting second half followed a poor first half in which the only noteworthy event was a Croatian penalty that was later reversed.
Romelu Lukaku was introduced after the break and wasted a few excellent opportunities, but ultimately the game ended scoreless and Belgium was eliminated early to the disappointment of their supporters and those who expected more from the “Golden Generation” of Belgian football.
As a result, Croatia will play the Group E winners on Monday, while Belgium will now have to wait over four months before playing Sweden in their first Euro 2024 qualifying match.
