Playing with fire as Red Devils chase Spain upset

What do you need to turn fortunes around in a tournament?

World-class talent, a great coach, and a bit of luck, all help. But sometimes all it takes is a little chaos to reignite the fire within. Sometimes all a team needs is a chip on its shoulder.

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That, perhaps, is what Belgium have found. A serious attitude adjustment that has brought their game up to speed and turned their campaign around. More than their existing quality, that may yet make the difference for the Red Devils when they face reigning European champions Spain in their World Cup quarterfinal in Los Angeles tonight.

Very few held Belgium in high regard ahead of this World Cup, and it was difficult to argue against that. Their embarrassing group-stage exit four years ago, despite a squad enriched with stellar talent, seemed to confirm that the decline of their golden generation had begun. By this edition, a few more pieces of that once-fabled side had disappeared, further weakening their credentials as a traditional European heavyweight -- a tag they had seriously reinforced during their semifinal run in 2018, when they lost to eventual winners France.

And after a 1-1 draw against Egypt in their opener, followed by a goalless draw against Iran, few expected Belgium to come this far. They ended the group stage by thumping New Zealand 5-1 and, almost to everyone’s surprise after a string of underwhelming displays, finished as group winners. Still, things looked ominous for Frenchman Rudi Garcia, whose own stock, much like Belgium’s, was low.

Then came the signs of life. Belgium scraped past Senegal, coming back from two goals down with five minutes left to force extra time before winning 3-2 through a last-gasp penalty. That victory breathed life into their campaign.

Then came the real test. Up against it all, having been on the receiving end of one of football’s most bizarre political interventions after in-form US striker Folarin Balogun’s one-match ban for a red card was suspended following President Donald Trump’s personal request to FIFA president Gianni Infantino to review the case, Belgium answered with a 4-1 thrashing of the co-hosts in Seattle on Monday to secure a quarterfinal spot.

Even Belgium’s appeal against the decision was not entertained. Yet in that process, the Red Devils emerged emboldened by the odds stacked against them, lashing out with all their might when their backs were against the wall. It was a statement victory, and one that appears to have reinforced their belief.

Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois believes his country can now create a surprise and upset Spain.

“Everyone on our team realises it’s possible. I think we have a strong squad with qualities that Spain will have to take into account,” he told reporters ahead of training on Wednesday.

“There are surprises in every tournament … the Champions League, the Europa League, the World Cup.

“There are always surprises, and I think we can be one of them. Eliminating the European champions would obviously be a huge upset. The confidence is there,” he said.

Belgium have already shown they can rise when adversity demands it. Few predicted such a revival. Their group-stage elimination at Qatar 2022 was thought to herald the end of a fading golden generation, but the Belgians are now unbeaten in 18 games and still seem to have just enough left in their arsenal for another deep run.

For the Red Devils, this World Cup, and especially every knockout match from here, feels like the last stand of whatever remains of that golden generation. The names have not all disappeared, but time has clearly caught up with them.

Rudi Garcia still has to lean on the old guard. Kevin De Bruyne remains the creative reference point, Thibaut Courtois the commanding last line of defence, and Romelu Lukaku the world-class finisher who, in this tournament, has forced his way into the company of some of the World Cup’s great names.

Lukaku’s three goals in North America have taken him level with Diego Maradona, Rudi Voller and Rivaldo on eight World Cup goals. For Belgium, that is a reminder that even in the fading light of an era, there is still enough quality to hurt teams.

But Spain are a different proposition. The hot favourites have reached the quarterfinals without conceding in five matches. They are unbeaten in 35 games, a run that has turned Luis de la Fuente’s side from promising European champions into a team that now look in full control of themselves and, more often than not, their opponents too.

Under De la Fuente, Spain won the Nations League in 2023, claimed a long-awaited fourth European Championship title in 2024 and reached another Nations League final the following year, losing on penalties to Portugal after a 0-0 draw.

Portugal, featuring Cristiano Ronaldo, were also Spain’s last victims in this World Cup, beaten 1-0 by a last-gasp goal.

Despite the spotlight on teenage sensation Lamine Yamal and the expectation for him to produce the extraordinary, Spain's strength is not built around one obvious match-winner but on their collective depth. At Euro 2024, they scored 15 goals, with 10 different players finding the net -- a tournament record for the number of scorers from one team in a single edition.

But at this World Cup, Spain have struggled to reach that flow state, with many finding similarities with their 2010 blueprint. In that triumphant run, they scored just eight goals and conceded only two. This time, they have scored nine so far.

“Ultimately, I think the great teams and the championship teams are the ones that are the best defensively, and that’s what we’re trying to do,” said defender Marc Cucurella. “Not just the defenders and the goalkeeper, but everyone. It’s a team effort: how we press, how we close down passing lanes, how we communicate.”

That is the challenge now awaiting Belgium; a Spain side with old steel in a new body. Belgium have found fire through chaos, grievance and survival. But to turn revival into another World Cup shock, they must now breach the one thing no team in North America has yet managed to break -- Spain’s wall.