England will face Colombia in the last 16 of the World Cup after a spectacular strike by Adnan Januzaj ensured Belgium finished top of Group G. Gareth Southgate made eight changes from England’s win against Panama, while opposite number Roberto Martinez made nine alterations – proving victory was not exactly the top priority as the tournament moves towards the knockout phase. That was illustrated by a largely mediocre, lifeless encounter in Kaliningrad that was settled by Januzaj’s goal six minutes after the break, the former Manchester United attacker cutting inside before curling a left-foot finish high past Jordan Pickford. England – who desperately missed absent captain and leading World Cup scorer Harry Kane – barely threatened, though Marcus Rashford should have equalised, Belgium keeper Thibaut Courtois touching his effort wide after he ran clear.
Southgate must now reflect on England’s first loss at this World Cup as he prepares to face the dangerous Colombians in Moscow on Tuesday at 19:00 BST, while Belgium go to Rostov to play Japan on Monday. With both teams already through to the Round of 16 before a ball had been kicked and relatively little riding on this encounter, the England and Belgium coaches rang the changes compared to their previous fixtures. As a result, there was unsurprisingly a disjointed and somewhat subdued feel to the game right from the off, with many players struggling to find their bearings. That is not to say there were no chances. The Belgians were the first to threaten. Jordan Pickford denied Mousa Dembele early on before keeping out Marouane Fellaini. Trent Alexander-Arnold then saw his cross-shot whistle narrowly past the post on the half-hour mark and Ruben Loftus-Cheek failed to find the target with a header four minutes later. However, that was about as good as it got in the first half, leaving the crowd at the Kaliningrad Stadium craving more action after the break.
Soon enough, Adnan Januzaj ensured that the fans would go home having got their money’s worth. With just six minutes on the clock in the second period, the Belgium attacking midfielder dropped a shoulder, skipped past Danny Rose and curled a sumptuous left-footed strike into the top corner. To their credit, the Three Lions did not lie down after going behind. Phil Jones had an opportunity to equalise after an hour and Marcus Rashford twice went close, but Belgium held on to secure their third win in as many matches at Russia 2018 and clinch top spot in the group.
