Samuel Umtiti stole a march on Marouane Fellaini at the near post and just like that it was all over.
Roberto Martinez’ Red Devils were going home, their 2018 World Cup ending in a gut-wrenching semi-final defeat. A tournament that had promised so much - not just for a golden generation, but perhaps the golden generation - had gone.
Belgium had dominated possession throughout their clash in St Petersburg with 66%, but a single moment had cost them. It had been almost two years since Belgium had lost a match of any kind, and this one stung.
"It was a dead ball situation which was the difference,” lamented coach Roberto Martinez that evening at a World Cup that had seen almost half of its goals arrive from set pieces.
Nobody would return from Russia having scored more than their 16. Nobody ended with a better goal difference, nor managed more victories. None of that mattered after Belgium had allowed Umtiti to head home the only goal of the game.
“That is the type of detail that counts in the semi-final of the World Cup,” admitted Martinez.
Belgium had attacked with verve and imagination from the first whistle of their first game in Russia, but football is a low-scoring game and eventual winners France got over the line by adopting the opposite approach, preferring a more pragmatic game which sought first to stifle the opposition.
Belgium’s last 16 victory over reigning champions Portugal suggests Martinez and his players heeded the Umtiti lesson from three years ago. The players “did exactly what they needed to do in the game to win,” said Martinez after Thorgan Hazard settled the game in the first-half with his side’s only shot on goal in Seville.
Belgium’s array of attacking stars were mostly peripheral: star striker Romelu Lukaku had the few touches of anyone who completed the 90 minutes, while Kevin De Bruyne, Eden Hazard and Youri Tielemans created just one chance between them.
Instead, the stars of the show were the ageing central defensive trio of Thomas Vermaelen, Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld as Belgium registered another clean sheet in a tournament that has seen their backline breached just once in four outings.
“The DNA of the Belgian national football team will never change,” insisted Martinez ahead of his side’s quarter-final clash with Italy.
“We are a team that wants to be in possession, we want to be an attacking threat and we want to show the talent that we have to win games, but sometimes to win games you have to show another side that allows you to win.”
Belgium arrived at this tournament with many doubting there was another side to their progressive, attacking approach. Those doubts were cast aside in Seville.
Now they have shown another string to their bow, an ability to adapt to the demands of a game to instead sit back and play a more conservative, reactive game, and appear a fine bet for the title at +700, behind their next opponents, Italy.
With so many of Europe’s big hitters having already exited Euro 2020, a versatile Belgium side look the team to beat.
After France were eliminated, England are now favourites with SBD