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The Financial Express

FIFA World Cup: Belgium complete stunning comeback to knock out Japan

| Updated: July 03, 2018 19:20:11


Belgium's Nacer Chadli celebrates scoring the last-gasp winner with teammates - Reuters photo Belgium's Nacer Chadli celebrates scoring the last-gasp winner with teammates - Reuters photo

Belgium have completed a remarkable revival as they came from the World Cup abyss and beat Japan to reach the quarter-finals.

Roberto Martinez's side were trailing 2-0 in Monday's game when he brought on Marouane Fellaini and Nacer Chadli in the 65th minute, and Fellaini scored the equaliser before Chadli netted a 94th-minute winner.

They now face Brazil in the last eight on Friday, according to a BBC report.

Japan looked on their way to a famous win in Rostov after Genki Haraguchi ran onto Gaku Shibasaki's long ball, which Jan Vertonghen should have cut out, to open the scoring.

Takashi Inui's 25-yard strike made it 2-0 and looked set to take the Asian side into their first quarter-final.

Belgium's Premier League stars - their golden generation - had put in a disappointing performance, and Martinez turned to the oft-ridiculed Fellaini and West Brom winger Chadli in his hour of need.

Their fortunes changed after that as Vertonghen scored a looping header to get them back into the game.

Fellaini then headed in Eden Hazard's sublime cross to level before Chadli converted Thomas Meunier's pass to finish off a flowing move and help the Red Devils avoid being the latest victims of a World Cup of shocks.

Belgium are the first team to fight back from two goals down to win a World Cup knockout game since West Germany against England in 1970.

 

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