2018 World Cup: three theses to defeat Japan – it was the moment of the title of Belgium

1. Now Belgium wants the title

Until the 69th minute, it was 2-0 for Japan, after 90 minutes 3: 2 for Belgium. Three goals in 25 minutes saved Belgium extra time or even early retirement. It was the first time since 1966 that a team in a knockout game in regular time a backlog with at least two goals. Portugal made it 5-2 in the quarter-finals against North Korea 0-3 after 24 minutes.

Belgium has shown exceptional mental performance. To play a counterattack late in the injury time as precise and cool as Kevin De Bruyne, Thomas Meunier, Romelu Lukaku and Nacer Chadli demanded a great serenity. At the same time, the Red Devils will have understood the warning from the intelligent and brave Japanese. The last 25 minutes of this knockout round resulted in what many believed after Toni Kroos' goal against Sweden: a necessary tournament experience on the way to the title. For Belgium, Japan could be what Algeria was for Germany in 2014.

2. Martínez reacts personally, not tactically – and finally does all the right things

For a long time, the Belgians have struggled to use their offensive quality successfully. In the first half, they only fired two shots on the Japanese door. They again attacked the hotspots of the Belgian defense and came with their counterattacks in the backs of the defenders of the wing. Roberto Martínez has not reacted to his team's problems with tactical changes. He remained with three defenders (inside), although against a single forward, two central defenders would have been enough. The released player would have been an option for more ball security in the midfield.

Martínez changed instead – and finally went straight. With Marouane Fellaini and Chadli, the scorers came to equalize and hit the winner. Especially by Fellaini came Belgium more and more on the flanks and could exploit the superiority in the game even better header. The first two shots are the result of this force in the aerial duels. This shows that even if there are no new tactical impulses, Belgium can recharge at any time thanks to the scale of its team.

. 3 And now, Brazil is waiting in the quarter-finals

The starting position before the quarter-final against Brazil is now completely different for the Belgians than in the tournament. They do not have to play the game against the world champion five times and can focus fully on their higher counter-game. Brazil struggled against low-ranked opponents: Costa Rica found themselves involved with five strings and sank 2-0 late in the game. During the tournament, the Seleção was lifted and proved that she was one of the few teams in this tournament to be in possession of the ball.

Cancel appointments, get a babysitter – two teams meet on Friday the staff brings the best, what this world cup has to offer: ball possession artists against the counter machine.