After a comeback win against Algeria in its opening game of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Belgium needed just one more win to advance to the elimination round.
Belgian striker Divock Origi got the job done, delivering a tie-breaking goal inside the last three minutes of regular time to lift his team to a 1-0 win over Russia at Rio De Janeiro’s Maracana on Sunday afternoon.
Origi broke the tie in the 88th minute, receiving a pass from Eden Hazard in front of the goal and blasting it home to make it 1-0.
Belgium’s best looks came at the tail end of the match, with Kevin Mirallas hitting the post with a free kick in the 84th minute and Eden Hazard sending a shot just wide before Origi’s winner. Russia had a chance to take the lead in the 44th minute on an Aleksandr Kokorin header, but his attempt sailed wide of the net to the right.
Belgium now has six points in Group H and has secured its bid in the round of 16, while Russia is locked in a third place tie with South Korea with just one point through two games.
Photo via Twitter/@NewsWallCoZa
