FIFA World Cup: Belgium's 'golden generation' fails to deliver on the big stage once again

Romelu Lukaku had come on as a half-time substitute for Belgium against Croatia . Manager Roberto Martinez was hoping the striker could use his poaching skills and physical strength to power Belgium into the lead and subsequently a desperate win. Inter Milan’s Lukaku did do one part of the job. FIFA World Cup: Fixtures | Results | Points Table | Squads | Records Lukaku hit the post on a rebound with the goal gaping at his mercy. Two minutes later, Lukaku headed over an empty net from six yards out but one could argue the ball looked to have gone out. In the 87th minute, he deflected the ball wide from a Thomas Meunier volley.He had another chance to become the hero in stoppage time but opted to chest the ball towards the open net from three yards out. It played out perfectly for Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic who took the ball in his arms with utter ease. That about sums up Belgium and their “golden generation”. A case of so close, yet so far. There’s plenty of promise, plenty of noise, plenty of talent too. Yet, there’s no end product to show for it. There’s no trophy at the big stage for all that talent.

And it is a lengthy line of talent over the last decade and half. Belgium have had, among others, Vincent Kompany, Kevin de Bruyne, Eden Hazard, Lukaku, Thibaut Courtois, Jan Vertonghen, Yannick Carrasco, Axel Witsel, Dries Mertens, Mousa Dembele, Toby Alderweireld and Marouane Fellaini in a large aisle of skillful players. Group F analysis: Belgium’s ‘Golden Generation’ fall short; Morocco punch above their weight Outgoing Martinez argues Belgium’s legacy is already set. “Leaving a legacy goes a lot further than winning a tournament,” Martinez had said prior to the Croatia fixture. “I’m sure you can find national teams that win tournaments and don’t leave a legacy. This group of players deserves respect, deserves admiration for what they’ve done.” For what it’s worth, Belgium did finish third at the 2018 FIFA World Cup and made the quarterfinals of last two European Championships. But is that enough for a country that has been World No. 1 for lengthy periods and has such wide range of talent at its disposal? The team, possibly, doesn’t think so. The Belgium squad held a meeting after their two games where players aired their “honest” views about how the team can salvage the campaign. And they needed to because of a pedestrian 1-0 win over Canada and 2-0 loss to Morocco .

The tone for Belgium and their chances was set before the first ball was kicked. In an interview with The Guardian, De Bruyne was asked if Belgium can win the World Cup and he was quoted as saying: “No chance, we’re too old.” In response, 35-year-old Jan Vertonghen, said after the Morocco loss, “Where did it go wrong? We probably also attack badly because we are too old, that must be it now, surely?” There were rumours of infighting among the squad and skipper Eden Hazard, who has barely played for club Real Madrid due to injuries, was relegated to the bench against Croatia. He only came on in the 87th minute and wasn’t able to make any impact. Also Read | Belgium leave with ‘heads held high’, says coach Roberto Martinez [caption id=“attachment_11737941” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Romelu Lukaku missed multiple chances for Belgium in their goalless draw with Croatia at the FIFA World Cup. AP[/caption] The path forward for Belgium will be without Roberto Martinez. The Spaniard, whose contract was expiring after the World Cup, said he was leaving and it wasn’t down to the group stage exit where the team managed just one goal. “That was my last game with the national team, I can’t carry on,” Martinez said at his post-match press conference. “It’s the time for me to accept that this is the last game.” It is safe to say Martinez won’t be the only one walking away from Belgium colours. Simon Mignolet, Jan Vertonghen, De Bruyne, Eden Hazard and Lukaku could well step away from national colours by the next European Championship or World Cup. And it would be in Belgium’s best interests that they do. Read all the Latest News , Trending News ,  Cricket News , Bollywood News ,  India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram .