First Euro 2020 preparation match for the Red Devils and, let's face it, a serious taste of too little. We could almost say that we can be happy to get away with a share as there was not much lacking for the Devils to be overwhelmed by a Greek team with no stake.
Let's start with what interests fans of statistics the most: the match between the Belgian national football team and its Greek counterpart ended in a one-goal-one split.
Roberto Martinez shuddered during the first quarter of an hour
He may seem impassive on the edge of the pitch, but we can imagine the thrill that ran through Roberto Martinez, the Belgian coach, during the first quarter of an hour of the match. It is because the modest team of Greece did not miss an opportunity to shake our Red Devils, Simon Mignolet twice saving his nets from outrage. Luckily, the Devils machine got under way, but we'd be tempted to say 'in minor key'.
Certainly, the Greeks played luck, especially against a Romelu Lukaku very well served sometimes by Jeremy Doku, sometimes by Dennis Praet, but luck is not enough to explain that we have to wait the 20 th minute for see the Hellenic nets tremble.
A shocking duo to shake up our opponents at the Euro
But let us remember that this was a preparation match and the reason for such a match is to allow the manager to place his pawns for the next matches. As such, it is interesting to see that the duo formed by Thorgan Hazard and Yannick Carrasco works wonderfully. It is they who are at the origin and at the conclusion of the only goal of our Red Devils.
The opportunity also to notice the technical prowess of which a Jeremy Doku is capable, regularly out of speed the Greek defenders put there to block him this royal road which leads to the goals. He won't complain, but in the 36 th minute his pass to Thorgan Hazard could only go into the goal, except the Brainois missed his target. Too bad, it will be for next time.
Belgian defense lacks intensity
After the match, Robert Martinez’s verdict was swift. The Red Devils defense did not show the intensity that allows them to block the opponent out of the small rectangle. Greater responsiveness would have undoubtedly avoided that, on a stopped phase, a ball hitting the Belgian post could not be volleyed by an opponent and end up in our net.
At the same time, it was the whole team that lacked that touch of creativity necessary to speed up the game and thus leave behind a Greek team that had not come there for to do figuration. The Belgian coach would also like to thank the Greek national team which, through their commitment, will have made it possible to identify flaws and errors before the matches that matter are really launched.
A rare nervousness for a friendly match
The Greek national team weren't there to laugh and forgot every now and then that this was a friendly match. If headaches - literally and figuratively - took place during the match, we will undoubtedly remember the ugly eyes of Romelu Lukaku against a Georgios Tzavellas who would like to settle accounts with the Belgian player. Images that one would rather not see too much on the football fields.
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