Belgium has ended its adventure in the World Cup, as it did not go more than a goalless draw in the challenge against Croatia. Meanwhile, the latter qualified second in group F, after Morocco.
Coach Roberto Martinez's men finished the World Cup in Russia in third place 4 years ago, but disappointed with their performance in Qatar, securing only 1 win and scoring only 1 goal in 3 matches.
Romelu Lukaku, who came on as a substitute, had several clear chances to score, but could not manage to be accurate in front of the goal. The striker also hit the post from very close to the goal, and it seemed that luck was not on the side of the Belgians. Croatia, on the other hand, was not very convincing in its game, but this can be understood for coach Zlatko Dalic's men, as 1 point was enough for them to reach the qualification.
However, the Croatians had their chances to score, as Luka Modric came close to scoring but his shot was blocked by goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. The referee also awarded Croatia a penalty, but after VAR review the penalty was disallowed due to an offside position in the build-up to the action.
Meanwhile, there were also surprises in group E, as Germany was eliminated from this world. The Germans won the challenge with Costa Rica 4-2, but this was not enough to ensure the "panzers" the qualification, as Japan managed to win in a spectacular way against Spain with the result 2-1. This means that Japan finished Group E in first place, while Spain in second place, due to their superior goal difference over Germany.
