Moscow: Belgium beat England 1-0 after a stunning curling goal from Adnan Januzaj and take the top spot in Group G. England performed well in the absence of the regulars but lacked clarity in the final third. Belgium continue their dominance in the FIFA World cup 2018, they will face Japan while England will take on Colombia, in the round of 16. In the other Group G match, Tunisia grabbed a consolation win after beating Panama 2-1 at the Mordovia Arena.
Follow the match updates here:
Belgium 1-0 England!
Full-time!
90+2 minute: MISS! Fellaini picks up a pass in the box but shoots into the side net.
3 minutes of Stoppage time!
89 minute: Belgium's Mertens fires a bullet towards the goal but goalkeeper Pickford knuckles the ball away. That was close.
86 minute: Substitution for Belgium. Mertens in for Januzaj.
83 minute: Corner for England. Rashford whips the ball in, it eventually drops in front of Welbeck who goes for a half-volley but his shot gets blocked by Fellaini.
81 minute: Free-kick to England. Rashford attempts to curl the ball towards the goal but it goes over the crossbar.
10 minutes to go!
79 minute: Substitution for England. Alexander-Arnold is replaced by Welbeck.
76 minute: Free-kick to England. The goalkeeper collects the ball comfortably.
75 minute: Substitution for Belgium. Kompany in for Vermaelen.
71 minute: Free-kick to Belgium after Fellaini goes down. Januzaj chips the ball in the middle but England's Dier heads it away.
In the other Group G match, Tunisia have taken the lead. Tunisia 2-1 Panama.
66 minute: MISS! England's Rashford's shot is deflected away by the Belgium goalkeeper. Rashford should have scored there. Corner for England.
63 minute: Rose fires a cross from the far post in an attempt to find Vardy but his shot is blocked by a Belgium defender.
61 minute: England's Loftus-Cheek creates space in the final third but his cross is cleared away by the Belgium goalkeeper. Belgium, as it stands, top the Group G table.
57 minute: England's Vardy collides with Vermaelen, the latter picks up a head injury and gets patched up. The players take a breather.
In the other Group G clash, Tunisia have equalised against Panama. Tunisia 1-1 Panama
54 minute: Free-kick to England. Alexander-Arnold fails to get past the Belgium wall.
Belgium 1-0 England!
51 minute: GOAL!! Belgium's Januzaj cuts in from England's Rose and nets the ball into the far corner. What a goal.
48 minute: MISS! England's Rashford attempts to curl the ball into the goal but hits it wide. That was close.
Half-time substitution: England's Maguire replaces John Stones.
Second-half is underway!
England 0-0 Belgium!
Half-time!
45 minute: Corner for England. The defence clear the ball to safety.
38 minute: T. Hazard skies the ball away from the England goal. Both teams have looked composed and organised but the scoreline remains intact.
In the other Group G clash, Panama have taken the lead. Panama 1-0 Tunisia.
34 minute: Corner for England. Alexander-Arnold whips the ball in but Loftus-Cheek heads the ball wide.
32 minute: Yellow card! Dendoncker gets booked for a challenge on Rose.
7 minute: Corner for Belgium. That was close. Fellaini fires the ball towards the goal but his shot is blocked by a defender. England are defending in numbers here.
Interestingly, Belgium have won all their last three matches with a three-goal margin and enjoy a 21-match unbeaten run.
20 minute: Yellow card! Belgium's Tielemans gets booked for a challenge. Free-kick to England.
17 minute: Free-kick to Belgium after Jones concedes foul on Dembele.
14 minute: England's Vardy picks up a cross in the box but heads the ball wide. Both teams are up and attacking.
9 minute: Belgium's Batshuayi waits for the ball to drop inside the box shoots towards the goal but Cahill makes a last-minute clearance. That was close.
6 minute: SAVED! Belgium's Tielemans hits a bullet from the box but England's goalkeeper Pickford taps it away. That was close.
2 minute: That was close. England's Vardy creates space in the right and fires a cross in the middle but the goalkeeper Courtois clears the ball away.
Both England and Belgium have scored eight goals and conceded two in this World Cup, so far.
Kick-off!
The final two matches of the group stage are soon upon us...
Here are the teams for #ENGBEL!#ENG #BEL pic.twitter.com/rvom0sQ4Ru
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) June 28, 2018
Lineups
England XI: Pickford, Alexander-Arnold, Jones, Stones, Cahill, Rose, Dier, Delph, Loftus-Cheek, Rashford, Vardy.
Belgium XI: Courtois, Dendoncker, Boyata, Vermaelen, Chadli, Dembélé, Fellaini, Tielemans, T. Hazard, Januzaj, Batshuayi.
England currently top Group G despite being level on points, goals scored and goal difference, with a better disciplinary record. Both are likely to make changes to their starting lineup. There were doubts over Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku’s availability after he missed the training sessions on Monday and Tuesday. Coach Roberto Martinez will most likely rest Lukaku ahead of the round of 16 matches.
England coach Gareth Southgate was sending mixed messages over whether or not the striker, who has scored five goals so far in Russia, will start.
Squad:
England:
Goalkeepers - Jack Butland, Jordan Pickford, Nick Pope.
Defenders - Phil Jones, Gary Cahill, Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Danny Rose, Ashley Young, John Stones, Harry Maguire.
Midfielders - Eric Dier, Jordan Henderson, Fabian Delph, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Jesse Lingard, Dele Alli.
Forwards - Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford, Jamie Vardy, Raheem Sterling, Danny Welbeck.
Belgium:
Goalkeepers- Koen Casteels, Thibaut Courtois, Simon Mignolet.
Defenders - Toby Alderweireld, Dedryck Boyata, Leander Dendoncker, Vincent Kompany, Thomas Meunier, Thomas Vermaelen, Jan Vertonghen.
Midfielders - Yannick Carrasco, Nacer Chadli, Kevin De Bruyne, Mousa Dembele, Marouane Fellaini, Thorgan Hazard, Adnan Januzaj, Youri Tielemans, Axel Witsel.
Forwards - Michy Batshuayi, Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku, Dries Mertens.
