Belgium clashed heads with Portugal at the Estadio La Cartuja de Sevilla earlier tonight as they looked to pick up a win and secure progression into the knockout stages of the UEFA European Championships. Thorgan Hazard’s 42nd-minute goal ended up deciding the fate of the game as Belgium secured a narrow 1-0 win over Portugal to proceed into the quarter-finals of the competition.
Let’s take a look at how each Belgium player performed during the match against Portugal.
Belgium Players Rated In Win Vs Portugal
Thibaut Courtois 8
The Read Madrid shot-stopper made a couple of match-winning saves over the course of the game, but it’d be fair to say that luck was on his side.
Jan Vertonghen 8
The Benfica centre-back kept things clean at the back as he made some important clearances for his side, especially in the last 25 minutes or so.
Thomas Vermaelen 8.5
Not many can defend against Cristiano Ronaldo the way he did tonight. Although he picked up a yellow card in the process, he made several crucial blocks and interceptions to secure a clean sheet.
Toby Alderweireld 7.5
The Tottenham man looked nervous at times but wasn’t hesitant about putting in crunching tackles to win the ball back for his side.
Throgan Hazard 8.5
Thorgan Hazard’s brilliant goal right before the half-time mark ended up deciding the fate of the game as it secured a place for Belgium in the quarter-finals. He created all sorts of menace for the Portuguese defence down the left flank.
Thomas Meunier 7.5
The Borussia Dortmund star made some energetic runs down the right flank to support the attack and fared well defensively as well.
Axel Witsel 7
Witsel was mostly limited to duties in his own half of the pitch as he worked very hard at the centre of the park to shield his side’s back-four.
Youri Tielemans 7
The Leicester City playmaker’s ball distribution was impressive; however, he seemed to lack creativity in the opposition half.
Eden Hazard 7.5
The Real Madrid winger pulled off some awe-inspiring tricks down the left flank, and it’d be fair to say that he was at the heart of every attacking move that Belgium initiated. However, he went off limping in the 87th minute.
Kevin De Bruyne 6
The Manchester City midfielder had a decent first-half as he played some well-time through balls to unlock the Portugal defence, but he had to be taken off in the second half due to an unfortunate injury.
Romelu Lukaku 6
The Inter Milan striker was left frustrated as he never really got much of the ball to have an impact on the match.
SUBSTITUTES (Belgium Players Rated In Win Vs Portugal)
Dries Mertens 6.5
Added some extra energy to Belgium’s attack but lacked the creativity.
Yannick Carrasco N/A
It was too late when he came on.
