Belgium eliminate Brazil with 2-1 victory to enter semis
Kazan (Russia), July 7: Potential dark horse Belgium eliminated five-time world champions Brazil with a 2-1 triumph here on Friday to book their place in the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup only for the second time after a gap of 32 years.
Fernandinho's own goal in the 13th minute and Kevin De Bruyne's 31st-minute strike meant Belgium led 2-0 at the half-time. Renato Augusto (76th minute) revived Brazil's hopes but it was too late as Belgium set up a semi-final with 1998 World Cup winners France, the only pre-tournament favourites to be in the last four.
Roberto Martinez's Belgium orchestrated a counter-attacking game to near perfection as they caught Brazil, who were without their key defensive midfielder Casemiro, napping.
Belgium, who were 0-2 down to Japan in their pre-quarterfinal before winning 3-2, went up 2-0 against Brazil, who were boosted by the return of Marcelo.
Belgium replaced forward Dries Mertens with Nacer Chadli in order to make their more compact and instead they put attacking midfielder Kevin De Bruyne near the attackers, Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukaku.
Brazil, playing with a 4-3-3 formation, had a promising start and could have taken the lead in th early seventh minute when a corner from the left saw the ball jump out of Thiago Silva's thigh and kissed the left post.
After the clearance, Belgium raced off for a counter-attack, with De Bruyne teeing up Hazard on the edge of the Brazil box. Hazard's shot was blocked by goalkeeper Alisson Becker. Chadli's rebound shot went wide of the left post. This action gave a sign of how Belgium were approaching the game.
Another counter-attack led to a corner six minutes later. A corner, whipped by Belgium captain Hazard from the left flew into the Brazilian net off Fernandinho's right arm near the left post, catching Alisson out of position.
Later, Philippe Coutinho and Marcelo tested Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois with long-range drives but the latter was alert, as Belgium, who played three central defenders in Jan Vertonghen, Vincent Kompany and Toby Alderweireld dealt Brazilian moves with patience and calmness.
The European team doubled their lead in the 31st minute when Lukaku opened up a counter-attack following a corner. After Marouane Fellaini headed away Neymar's corner, Lukaku ran away down the middle of the pitch before rolling a pass right to De Bruyne, who launched a low screamer into the bottom left.
Brazil responded strongly after falling behind 0-2 and had their best chance of the first half six minutes later as Coutinho cut inside from the left, and sent a power curler towards the bottom right but it couldn't beat a diving Courtois.
After the change of ends, Brazil removed off-colour Willian and Gabriel Gesus and brought in attacking players Douglas Costa and Roberto Firmino to infuse more energy. The strategy, coupled with Belgium's thinking of defending the lead meant that the European was forced to defend for the most part of the second half.
Paulinho was not ready to stab home a rebound cross off Costa as Brazil continued their hunt for their opening goal.
Belgium showed that they can also calmly defend and when they opportunity came, they were not behind in launching counter-attacks. They came close to their third goal when Chadli galloped down the left before feeding Hazard, who entered the left-hand side of the box before firing a low shot past the far post in the 63rd minute.
At the other end, 10 minutes later, a flick from right winger Costa was palmed away by Courtois but Neymar grabbed the rebound and employed a drive. But the keeper rose up to keep away the danger.
Augusto then replaced Paulinho in the 73rd minute and three minute later he gave Brazil their opening goal. Coutinho, 30 yards out, down the inside-left channel, spotted Augusto with a looping cross and the substitute midfielder headed it past Courtois into the bottom right corner.
The Brazilian pair worked well a move four minutes later, when Coutinho slipped a pass down the middle of the box for Augusto, who sent a fierce low shot inches wide of the bottom left post.
Belgium now were determined to defend the one-goal lead and put out Lukaku and Chadli and brought in defender Thomas Vermaelen and young midfielder Youri Tielesman to keep the pressing Brazilians' away.
Brazil continued with their momentum and later in the injury time, a Neymar curler to the top right corner was tipped over by Courtois as Belgium hung on to their 2-1 lead.
With Brazil's defeat, the semi-finals will not feature a South American nation after a gap of 12 years as Saturday's quarter-finals match-ups are England vs Sweden and Croatia vs hosts Russia.
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Cong says LoPs not invited to Putin banquet, takes swipe at Tharoor for accepting invite
New Delhi (PTI): The Congress on Friday said Leaders of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi have not been invited to the banquet for Russian President Vladimir Putin, and took a swipe at its own MP Shashi Tharoor for accepting the invite.
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, "There has been speculation whether the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha have been invited for tonight's official dinner in honour of President Putin. The two LoPs have not been invited."
Congress' media and publicity department head Pawan Khera accused the government of breaking protocols daily and not believing in democratic principles.
"There is no invite to both the LoPs, Mr (Mallikarjun) Kharge and Mr (Rahul) Gandhi. This comes as a surprise but I don't think we should be surprised. This government is known to be breaching all protocols. What else to say, ask the government," he told PTI Videos on the sidelines of an event.
Asked about party MP Tharoor getting invited to the banquet and accepting the invitation, Khera said, "Ask Mr. Tharoor. All of us who are in the party, if our leaders don't get invited and we get invited, we need to question our own conscience and listen to our conscience. Politics has been played in inviting or not inviting people, which in itself is questionable and those who accept such an invite is also questionable," Khera said.
"We would have listened to our voice of conscience," he added.
Earlier, Tharoor said there was a time when the chairman of the external affairs committee was routinely invited but that practice seems to have stopped from some years.
"It has been resumed ...I have been invited, yes. I will definitely go," the chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs said.
On the LoPs reportedly not getting an invite, Tharoor said, "I don't know on what basis invitations were sent. I think the custom that usually used to be followed was for a wide representation. Certainly, I remember in the olden days, they used to invite not only the LoPs, (but) various other cross section of representatives of different parties. It conveys a good impression."
"I dont know the basis (of invitation), this is all done by the government, by the protocol by the Rashtrapati Bhawan, what do I know. All I can say I have honoured to have been invited. Of course I will go," Tharoor told reporters in the Parliament House complex.
Gandhi on Thursday had alleged that the government tells visiting foreign dignitaries not to meet the Leader of the Opposition due to its "insecurity".
His remarks had come hours ahead of Putin's two-day visit to India.
Gandhi had said it is a tradition that visiting foreign dignitaries meet the LoP but Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Ministry of External Affairs were not following this norm.
"Normally the tradition is that those who come from abroad have a meeting with the LoP. This used to happen during (Atal Bihari) Vajpayee ji's time, Manmohan Singh ji's time, it has been a tradition but what happens these days is that when foreign dignitaries come and when I go abroad, the government suggests to them to not meet the LoP," Gandhi had told reporters in Parliament House complex.
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