Belgium is making two big changes to its starting lineup for Tuesday’s World Cup quarterfinal against Spain, and neither one is a surprise if you’ve been paying attention.
Kevin De Bruyne and Jeremy Doku are stepping in for Amadou Onana and Dodi Lukébakio. Onana tore his ACL in Belgium’s Round of 16 win over the USMNT and is done for the tournament. Lukébakio got the start in that game mostly because he had a history against the Americans — he scored twice in a pre-tournament friendly, and Onana added one in that same match. But that’s not the kind of thing that keeps you in the XI when the stakes get this high.
De Bruyne, 35, is probably the best Belgian player of his generation. Over 100 caps for the national team, a decade at Manchester City, and now playing for Napoli. He leads Belgium in shots taken at this World Cup with 18 and has one goal to show for it. Doku, 24, is still at City and widely considered one of the best wingers in the world right now. Seven goals in 48 caps and zero so far in this tournament, but his ability to draw defenders and create space is what makes him dangerous.
Two stars, one big game
This isn’t some desperate Hail Mary from Belgium’s coaching staff. It’s just the obvious move. You don’t bench De Bruyne in a quarterfinal unless you have to. And you don’t leave Doku on the sideline when you need someone to stretch a Spanish defense that has looked solid so far.
Spain has been clinical in this tournament, but they haven’t faced a team with Belgium’s mix of veteran savvy and explosive speed. Doku’s dribbling could be the key to breaking down a compact back line. De Bruyne’s passing range means Belgium can go direct when they need to.
The winner of this game heads to Dallas to face France in the semifinals on July 14. That’s a heavy prize, and Belgium knows it. They’ve been knocking on the door of a World Cup title for years now, and this might be the last real run for a core that includes De Bruyne on the back end of his prime.
Kickoff is Tuesday. No word yet on whether Spain makes any changes of its own, but all eyes will be on how Belgium’s reshuffled attack handles the pressure.
Leave a Comment