2018 World Cup: How did Belgium beat Japan?

In the fourth minute of Belgium's thrilling victory over Japan in the knockout stages of the World Cup, the match was still tied and Japan took a corner. They sent it, the Belgian goalkeeper got it back … and a few seconds later, Belgium ran the full length of the pitch and won the match.

It was an incredible moment in an incredible comeback, and it was a counterattack as beautiful as you'll ever see in a football match. Let's look at it, so let's break down exactly what happened here.

1. The fast distribution of Thibaut Courtois to De Bruyne has begun

You can not really see it in the video above, but the Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois needs a ton of credit to start. When Japan sends a corner kick, Courtois collects and pushes the pace immediately, sprints to the top of his box, identifying De Bruyne and putting the ball in his feet . His awareness and quick decision-making begin all here. Now, De Bruyne can take the ball in the wake and the counterattack is launched.

2. Kevin De Bruyne had one thing in mind

De Bruyne could have settled when he had it. Shot a little, identified his options. He could have passed it to a teammate, tired after running for 90 minutes. He did not do it. He had a thought in his mind, and it dribbled hard on the field and got third place in Belgium, winning the goal. It does not give Japan time to come back and organize, do not risk a long ball that could connect. He is the quarterback of this team and he wanted the ball at his feet. So he took it, and dribbled it hard in the middle of the field.

3. Romelu Lukaku made a flawless run to open the whole area

. De Bruyne's run with the ball would not have meant anything though he had not been helped by the initial Lukaku run. It's Lukaku who does not just run in a straight line, but makes a difficult pass through De Bruyne's face, forcing the Japanese defender to make a tough decision – staying with Attacker, or Stay left to face the Miller. The defender chose to stay with Lukaku, but it was irrelevant … once Lukaku forced him to make a decision, De Bruyne just had to choose the open option, and De Bruyne does not spoil these decisions.

4. De Bruyne fed perfectly Thomas Meunier

De Bruyne could have got rid of the pass. He did not do it. He carries the ball just long enough to force a defender to commit, then hits the perfectly balanced ball guiding Miller into the danger zone without allowing the ball to be intercepted by a defender. This pass forces the man who previously covered Lukaku to abandon him, and now everything is over.

5. Lukaku actually simulated Meunier's pass

However, Meunier must play this ball, and Lukaku must have this moment of brilliance to simulate the thing. It's a really difficult decision to make in this case. Yes, Lukaku knows that Chadli comes behind him, but dummies are dangerous. You can not really see what's behind you. Maybe another defender you have not recovered has come back and is ready to intercept it if you let the ball overtake you. Nobody would blame Lukaku for trying to shoot. But he knew that the defense was collapsing on him, and he believed in his teammate and it worked.