Belgium’s World Cup campaign is over after failing to beat Croatia in their last match in Group F.
A 0-0 draw was enough to see Croatia finish in second place with Morocco topping the group after beating Canada 2-1.
Belgium failed to impress in any of their matches in Qatar, a disappointing campaign that surely marks the end of their ‘golden generation’.
Croatia thought they had a chance to open the scoring 15 minutes into the game, but saw a penalty disallowed by VAR for an incredibly tight offside in the run-up to Yannick Carrasco’s clumsy tackle on Andrej Kramaric.
The canceled penalty turned out to be the only notable moment in a cautious first half.
The second half continued in the same vein with Croatia happy to play for the tie. Belgium huffed and puffed but didn’t do enough to force a winner that would have seen them outsmart their opponents and secure qualification.
United target Thomas Meunier looked solid but uninspiring in what was his 62nd cap for the national team.
Meunier provided decent width on the right hand side for Belgium, gathering nothing close to decisive with his last ball.
The Borussia Dortmund player nearly forced the winning goal in the final moments with his cross shot that Romelu Lukaku deflected and went agonizingly wide of the Croatian goal.
Defensively, Meunier struggled a bit, operating in a back four rather than the traditional Roberto Martinez defense, allowing crosses into the Belgium box too easily.
United are looking for a replacement for Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who is expected to leave the club in the summer, if not January, and Meunier’s name is constantly linked to the post.
United’s midfield target Youri Tielemans came on with twenty minutes to go but failed to make an impact, reflecting their overall tournament.
Former Red Lukaku came on at half time to provide a central point in attack and give the Croatian defenders something to think about, after their too-easy handling in the first half.
Lukaku had a wonderful chance to open the scoring seconds before the hour mark, but he slammed his shot off the post when it looked easier to score.
Lukaku then missed a couple more half chances before the best chance of the game fell to him in the final minute of regulation.
The Inter man was unable to make any meaningful contact when he was within three yards of Thorgan Hazard’s cross, and chested the ball back into the grateful grasp of the Croatian keeper.
The surprising outing will leave Roberto MartÃnez with much to ponder as the second best team in the world failed to make any impact in the tournament.
