World Cup 2018 Live Updates: Belgium beat England 2-0 to finish third

Belgium beat England 2-0 to finish third at the 2018 World Cup. (Image credit - Reuters)

Belgium notched up their best ever finish at the World Cup bettering their fourth place finish in 1986. 

So will England, what a campaign it has been for them as well. They have united the country once again with their football and have etched their name into the English folklore.. 

Belgium’s golden generation finishes third.. they will go with their heads held high 

The final whistle blows… And Belgium finish third 

93: Alex Witsel is booked 

91: Maguire fouls Witsel, and England’s  attack die down..

This should be the game for Belgium…

Three minutes added

85: Belgium counter again but John Stones puts hona fine-tackle to deny De Bruyne

83: Dele Alli is on for Loftus-Cheek

82: Belgium counter through De Bruyne and he finds Hazard on the left who makes no mistake

⚽⚽⚽⚽Goalll for Eden Hazard..

80: Great save by Pickford again.. Belgium counter and Mertens finds Meunier whose first-time volley is saved by Pickford..

77: Harry Maguire goes into the ref’s book for dissent..

England are not taking their chances...

Now Witsel fouls Lingard and Maguire heads wide..

74: Lingard finds Dier again but his header is off target..

72: Kompany fouls Rashford to concede a free-kick. Then clears the ball for a corner

71: Rashford sends Dier clear on goal, he flicks the ball above Coutois but Alderweireld is there to deny his Tottenham teammate.

Goal-line clearance from Toby Alderweireld.. 

68: Eric Dier with a shot from outside the box, but Courtois holds on.

65: Corner for England. kane tried an audacious volley from which De Bruyne counters but after a series of passes the ball goes out

Kompany plays a cheeky back-heel from the resultant corner but England clear through Maguire

63: Toby Alderweireld finds Eden Hazard with a beautiful long ball, the Chelsea man lays it down for Meunier, but Delph clears..

61: Substitution for Belgium.. Lukaku off for Dries Mertens

57: De Bruyne finds Lukaku with peach of a pass but his first touch lets him down

Lukaku…. ohh both the strikers are sleeping today 

55: Lingard finds Trippier, whose cross is cleared but from the following throw, Lingard plays a lovely volley to Kane, who fails to connect

Meanwhile, Kane is still not found he is lost..

Stones fouls Hazard and is booked.. yellow for the defender. 

50: Rashford is fouled by Vermaelen and England has a free-kick.. Trippier delivers and Vertonghen clears again for a corner, the next one is taken poor and Courtois clears..  ,

49: Phil Jones’ cross is straight at the goalie and Belgium counter again through Hazard, who drills last everyone but not Delph

47: Kane finds Loftus-Cheek, who break in but vermaelen clears.. the ball had hit Cheek on its way out and it’s a goal-kick

Jesse Lingard replaces Sterling

Marcus Rashford on for Danny Rose..

Two changes for England at half-time

The Second-half is about to begin at Saint Petersburg.. 

Half-time whistle blows.. Belgium 1 England 0 

45: Harry Maguire gives away a loose ball and De Bruyne finds Lukaku with an end to end cross.. but the giant striker’s shot is deflected away from corner.. It was one on one with John Stones

It has been a disappointing game so far.. lots of passes very few attacks to show..

Two-minutes added on 

Far away back home in England.. Novak Djokovic has beaten Rafael Nadal and will face Kevin Anderson in the final 

Meanwhile Chadli is replaced by Thomas Vermaelen.. 

39: Meunier intercepts an England attack and Belgium break on a counter.. but De Bruyne’s ball is headed out for a corner by Trippier.. the corner comes to nothing

Chadli down with a hamstring injury..

35: KDB swings in and Tielemens heads the ball into the box but Alderweireld shoots over..

33: Now Belgium with a series of passes inside the English half.. De Bruyne finds Hazard, whose shot is blocked by Maguire… Corner to Belgium…

27: Meunier bests Rose with pace, intelligence and everything, then swings in a cross for Lukaku, that is wide otherwise it wouod have been 2-0. Everyone including the English goalkeeper was out of position…

England are slowly craving into the match… Belgium are switching off 

Sterling gorgeously brings down a long ball from the back and lays it for Kane, in an open situation but the English captain slips and shoots wide…

24: Haryyyy Kane hits the ball wide from an open chance.. 

England have so far been poor at everything.. attack or defence… Nothing has worked.. too many changes might be hurting them

19: Loftus-Cheek wins a corner and Harry Maguire heads in the ball but it is straight at Courtois…

16: Ohh Lukaku… That should have been 2-0 De Bruyne once again breaks past the English back line and finde Lukaku, bht the giant Striker’s  first touch let’s him down.. the ball had gone out of play

Lukaku breaks through and finds Kevin de Bruyne in between two English defenders, his flick takes a deflection but Pickford is there to put out a hand..

12:  what a save by Jordan Pickford.. 

This is the fastest England have conceded in any World Cup game.

05: Chadli heads Couttois’ ball to Romelu Lukaku, who returns the pass to him. Chadli then finds Thomas Meunier with a low cross, who breaks ahead of Rose to score..

⚽⚽⚽Goalll Belgium… Meunier….

1: Dangerous ball by Alderweireld but it is ntercepted by Rose near the halfway line. Witsel then intervene to sangh the bal from him..

The match is about to begin…

England though has made five changes with Phil Jones, Danny Rose, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Eric Dier and Fabian Delph making starts.

Just two changes in the Belgium line-up with Dries Mertens and Youri Tielemans returning to the starting line-up.

Belgium XI: Courtois; Kompany, Alderweireld, Vertonghen; Meunier, Tielemans, Witsel, Hazard, De Bruyne; Lukaku, Mertens
England XI: Pickford; Rose, Dier, Stones, Jones, Maguire, Trippier, Loftus-Cheek, Delph, Sterling, Kane

The line-ups have been announced..  

England and Belgium are the first teams to play each other twice in a single World Cup tournament, since Turkey and Brazil in 2002.

Adnan Januzaj scored a beauty that night and the former Manchester United winger is expected to start today.

England and Belgium meet for the second time at the 2018 World Cup, having faced each other in their final group stage match which Belgium won 1-0.

Hello and welcome to the live coverage of the Belgium vs England third-fourth place play-off match. 

Joseph Biswas:
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