Thorgan Hazard was all Belgium needed to end Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal’s journey in the Euro 2020 at the round of 16 stage of the tournament.
The 42nd-minute strike of the 28-year-old Borussia Dortmund winger was enough to make the difference in the thrilling encounter which ended 1-0.
Throughout the 90 minutes of the match, Belgium were not able to penetrate deep into the defense of Portugal and had to win with a stunning strike from outside the box-eighteen.
The win means that Belgium and Italy would have to play against each other in the quarter-final stage of the competition on Friday.
Euro 2020 might be the last for Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo came to the European Championship to win it for the second time in a row. Recall that he won the tournament for the first time in his football career in 2016.
For the first time in Euro 2020, the 36-year-old Juventus forward, could not score a goal in Euro 2020 game. Recall that he scored at least a goal in the last three games Portugal played in the tournament before they met Belgium in the round of 16.
The Belgium national team proved too difficult to penetrate as Ronaldo struggled to establish his influence in the game. The best moment the 5-time Ballon d’Or winner had was a shot from a free-kick which Belgium’s goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois punched away.
At the end of the game, Ronaldo could not hide his frustration as he angrily removed his captain armband and spent some seconds on the pitch, before he walked off into the dressing room while his teammates spent some time applauding the spectators.
The reason for his frustration could be that he could feel it in his body that he might not have the opportunity to play in another edition of the European Championship which will come up when he is already 39-year-old. This means that the game against Belgium on Sunday night could be his last in the Championship.
He however left Euro 2020 as the top scorer (5 goals) but that might not continue until the tournament ends since he is no longer involved. Hence, the likes of Patrik Schick of the Czech Republic (4 goals) and Romelu Lukaku of Belgium (3 goals) could overtake him before the final on July 11.
Eden Hazard of Belgium worried about his hamstring
Belgium will be heading into the quarter-final stage of Euro 2020 with a lot to worry about. Eden Hazard who started a game for the second time in the tournament had to ask to be substituted towards the end of the round of 16 game against Portugal last night.
After the game, the Real Madrid forward said he felt something in his hamstring which has to be examined by the medical team of the squad. If the medics confirm that it is a serious issue, the 30-year-old Belgian captain would have to watch his younger brother, Thorgan Hazard from the bench for the rest of the tournament.
He said: “I hurt myself, I felt something in the hamstring. I think I have something, we’ll see tomorrow.
“We will analyze the injury well, we will see the extent afterward.
“As captain, I will stay with the group because I have an important role to play.”
Besides Hazard, the medical team of the Belgium national team would also be busy trying to fix Kevin De Bruyne who had to be forced out of the game in the early minutes of the first half.
He is the third Belgian player who might not be available for the quarter-final tie against Italy on Friday. Recall that Timothy Castagne is still battling to regain full fitness after he was forced out of the opener against Russia.
