Belgium were far from convincing in their World Cup opener against minnows Panama in Sochi, but a second half volley from Dries Mertens and two goals from Romelu Lukaku got the job done in the end.
It wasn’t all plain sailing for the Group G favourites, who struggled to find their rhythm from the start and didn’t seem completely comfortable with the approach of manager Roberto Martinez.
Here are four talking points from the Fisht Olympic Stadium.
Panama set their stall out but Belgium were criminally slack
One of the themes of the World Cup so far has been the regularity in which the smaller sides have defended deep with no regard for getting forward, perhaps explaining why none of the perceived favourites to win the tournament have started slowly. Panama, debutants in the tournament and one of the most beatable on paper, understandably followed suit; but it wasn’t their organisation that kept the score down early on, rather Belgium’s own inability to be clinical. It was patently clear they were not only physically better and more skilful, but the gulf in their quickness of thought was huge, too. The Red Devils found it easy to break through the lines, particularly out wide through Mertens and Yannick Carrasco, who both went close early on. Eden Hazard, playing in a free role behind Lukaku, went closest to opening the scoring, first by robbing Roman Torres just metres from goal and then forcing a save from Jaime Penedo.
As the first half wore on, though their issue changed. Initially, they weren’t finishing the chances, but the closer they got to the break, creating them seemed problematic. Martinez could hardly blame the Panama approach for their lack of quality, because they had carved them open before, but the tempo of their play was non existent. Lukaku found himself camped on the half way line, while Kevin de Bruyne sat needlessly deep. Belgium were just too cautious, which was strange given their dominance. Mertens did grab the opening goal two minutes into the second half with a stunning volley, but Belgium continued to struggle for impetus afterwards; the score line flattered them a little.
Roberto Martinez is not the right man to get the best from a supremely talented squad
When Martinez left Everton in the summer of 2016, the reason was clear; his style of play was not only unpopular at Goodison Park, but also ineffective. There was no intensity, and it felt as though they were passing for the sake of it, and it appears he hasn’t evolved. Perhaps there was an arrogance seeping into the Belgium performance, but there did seem to be a lack of understanding of their instructions. They didn’t know whether to press high or not; it felt as if they wanted to, but the formation didn’t allow it. De Bruyne has previously spoken about there being an issue with the way they set up against teams they should be beating; on the evidence of this showing, he has a point.
There have been murmurings of discontent from the players when it comes to Martinez, and there was far too much caution on show in the game. Their three centre backs, Dedryck Boyata, Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen, had very little to do, while Thibaut Courtois had to keep himself entertained in goal until Michael Murillo snook in behind a sleeping Carrasco to fire a warning shot at Belgium ten minutes after the restart. Even after they took the lead, when an opportunity arose to push on and add to the goal difference, which could prove crucial come the conclusion of the group, but nothing really changed. Martinez must sacrifice a defender for a more progressive midfielder against Tunisia in Moscow next week, such as Mousa Dembele, who was on the bench, and focus on releasing the shackles on de Bruyne and supporting Lukaku, who added his brace in the last twenty minutes.
Roman Torres was easily Panama’s best player
His goal against the United States, which secured qualification for their first World Cup, triggered a national holiday, and he is the second most popular person in Panama, behind the president; Torres was always going to play a big part for his country this summer. The game started nervously for him with the timid pass to Hazard, but he soon grew in confidence, making a vital interception ahead of Lukaku just yards from goal in the first half. For all Belgium’s passive play, Panama gave a great account of themselves, led from the front by captain Torres.
It was certainly a learning curve for them, but Panama did show they will not lie down against England next week and in their final game against Tunisia. Their fans, too, enjoyed their first day out and will add a lot to the competition, even if their stay will be short lived.
England will know they can take control of this group
Belgium were far from convincing, but the hope is that Martinez will have learnt a lot ahead of the Tunisia game. They showed their quality in spurts as the game came to a close, but they will need to be at it from the off next time out; missing an opportunity to lay down a marker after the mixed performances from the likes of France, Spain and Brazil. But they got the job done in the end, which is more than can be said for Argentina and, particularly, Germany.
Gareth Southgate’s men kick off their campaign against Tunisia on Monday evening, and a victory will be vital for keeping pace with Martinez’s men. The minimum requirement from their next two games is six points, just like Belgium, before the two meet in Kalilingrad, but they must play with rhythm in both games, because they could easily be caught out. Belgium will hope they can improve gradually as the tournament goes on, but there are definitely issues to iron out if they are to fulfil their huge potential.
