Vanaken and Lukaku click as Belgium face elimination
Win or go home: Belgium face New Zealand Saturday
Two draws, one goal scored, and now the math is simple. Belgium must beat New Zealand on Saturday or they are out of the World Cup (1). Egypt 1–1 and Iran 0–0 have left Rudi Garcia's team with no margin. Even a draw might not be enough. Captain Youri Tielemans did not sugarcoat it, he said the squad would be "very happy" just to scrape through under these conditions.
Vanaken pushes for a start alongside Lukaku
Hans Vanaken made his case. The analyst Hein Vanhaezebrouck has already called for him to start, and now Vanaken himself says the partnership with Romelu Lukaku works: "We zijn erg complementair", we are very complementary (1). Lukaku spent the free day at an arcade hall, and Vanaken had no issue with it. The respect between them is real.
Doku back after the assist of his life
Jérémy Doku returned to camp Wednesday morning after the birth of his son in London (2). The winger is expected to be available for the New Zealand match. Fresh legs, and maybe a fresh mindset, arriving at exactly the right moment.
No secrets given away
Louis Verstraete played in New Zealand until recently. Could he have tipped off the Kiwis about Belgium's setup? "Neen, ik heb niet veel geheimen prijsgegeven over de Rode Duivels", no, I didn't give away many secrets about the Red Devils (3). Whether that holds up on Saturday is another question.
Sources
- 1. hln.be — Respect tussen Hans Vanaken en Romelu Lukaku, die op vrije dag naar speelhal ging, is groot: “We zijn erg complementair”
- 2. vi.nl — Kersvers vader Doku terug bij België na 'assist van zijn leven'
- 3. nieuwsblad.be — ”Neen, ik heb niet veel geheimen prijsgegeven over de Rode Duivels”: Belg Louis Verstraete voetbalde tot voor kort in Nieuw-Zeeland