Belgium out to prove they can take the hard road to win the World Cup

If Belgium want to be the best, they have to beat the best. Their route to the World Cup final starts with Japan in the round of 16 on Monday.

So Belgium are supposedly on the “tougher” side of the World Cup bracket. That’s what they get for defeating England and winning Group G. In winning the group, the Red Devils have also had to travel further, playing in Rostov, which has been the hottest venue of all, and do it all on one fewer day of rest compared to England.

Belgium don’t appear scared of what’s ahead. It may be because they breezed through the group stage. Maybe they’re confident this golden generation of players can finally come through. It could even be that this team now finally have the experience and confidence to take on anyone.

“We need to go step-by-step, but I think that we can face anyone that we’ve got in front of us,” coach Roberto Martinez told reporters.

Belgium, listed third in the latest FIFA rankings, play Japan on Monday in the round of 16 at Rostov Arena at Rostov-on-Don. it should be a winnable match for coach Roberto Martinez’s men, but stranger things have happened at this tournament. Just ask holders Germany.

It’s true that Russia 2018 has been loaded with surprises. It isn’t entirely out of the question for Japan to reach the quarterfinals. While Belgium look the favorites after breezing through the groups stage, Japan only got here thanks to a fifth tiebreaker (over Senegal) that involved getting fewer yellow cards.

“It will definitely be a hard match. Belgium are a better team than us,” Japan defender Yuto Nagatomo said in an interview with FIFA.com. “However, Japan can now play with confidence. We have nothing to lose.”

Belgium have plenty to lose. The dark horse darlings coming into this World Cup, Belgium have tremendous quality across their entire 23-man roster and at every position. This star-studded lineup has it all, including Premier League stars  Kevin De Bruyne, Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukaku. Add to that impressive mix the likes of Axel Witsel and playmaker Dries Mertens and Martinez’s side are one of the best in the tournament.

And unlike teams like Argentina that struggled to find chemistry, Belgium have been a consistent unit throughout the past two weeks.

Nonetheless, for all the love Belgium have gotten in recent years, they have advanced beyond the quarterfinals only once — and that was back in 1986. That team, featuring Enzo Scifo and Jan Ceulemans, would finish fourth at Mexico ’86. This could be the year the country’s golden generation finally come through and lift the trophy.

Japan, on the other hand, have seen their national team play consistently at World Cup level for some two decades, but have never been able to go on a deep run at a major tournament like the World Cup. At Russia 2018, Japan have looked inconsistent.

While Japan are beatable, there’s no knowing which team will show up for Sunday’s game. Will it be the team that defeated Colombia two weeks ago or the one that fell to already-eliminated Poland?

Next: By the numbers look at the World Cup group stage

Japan have already achieved plenty considering that the Japanese FA fired coach Vahid Halilhodzic two months before the World Cup, replacing him with Akira Nishino, the technical director of the country’s soccer association.

Belgium, on the other hand, still have plenty to prove. Should they defeat Japan, their opponents would get considerably more difficult on the road to the July 15 final.  Teams such as Brazil or Mexico could await them in the quarterfinals, while France or Uruguay loom further down the line. Belgium haven’t showed any fear at this tournament. The players are aware that to be the best, they have to beat the best. They may very well get that chance here in Russia.

“We are not looking at the path,” Martinez said. “For now, Japan is the only priority that we have.”