Belgium v Russia

:00:16. > :01:01.GARY LINEKER: Good afternoon. We are almost halfway through the

:01:02. > :01:06.tournament in terms of games. We are back in the Maracana for Belgium

:01:07. > :01:09.versus Russia, two sides who enjoyed mixed fortunes in their opening

:01:10. > :01:14.games of this World Cup. COMMENTARY: Belgium, in a first

:01:15. > :01:17.major tournament for 12 years - hard to believe. The penalty is going to

:01:18. > :01:25.be given. Fellaini! He's got it! This could

:01:26. > :01:49.win it. Mertens. 2-1 for Belgium. It's a goal. Akinfeev has thrown it

:01:50. > :01:50.into the back of the net. The deflection might favour them - it

:01:51. > :02:00.has. It is 1-1. GARY LINEKER: Many a good judge

:02:01. > :02:05.thought Belgium would do quite well at this World Cup. They are a team

:02:06. > :02:12.that includes plenty of familiar faces from the Premier League. Eden

:02:13. > :02:18.Hazard, very recognisable hair-do. And, of course, their captain,

:02:19. > :02:22.Manchester City's captain, Vincent Kompany, amongst others. There is a

:02:23. > :02:26.familiar face in charge of Russia, too. Fabio Capello is their head

:02:27. > :02:32.coach. Remember him? He will be hoping to progress further than he

:02:33. > :02:45.did four years ago with England. This is how the Group H table looks:

:02:46. > :02:56.Here with us today, we have Thierry Henry, Alan Shearer and Clarence

:02:57. > :02:59.Seedorf. Belgium have high-quality players in their squad? Most of the

:03:00. > :03:08.players play in the Premier League. When you have the likes of Hazard,

:03:09. > :03:12.Fellaini and Kompany at the back. As we saw the other day, they had a

:03:13. > :03:16.difficult game against Nigeria. With the quality that they have, they

:03:17. > :03:19.came out with a win. It wasn't going that well for them. They bounced

:03:20. > :03:25.back and showed some character to win that game? The coach played a

:03:26. > :03:29.huge part and realised that the system and the players that he put

:03:30. > :03:31.out there to begin with, it wasn't working for them. Early in the

:03:32. > :03:36.second half, he made the changes that he had to make and when you do

:03:37. > :03:41.that, you are looking for a substitute to change the game in a

:03:42. > :03:48.positive way. All three of his substitutes did that. Russia, as a

:03:49. > :03:57.football nation - it used to be the Soviet Union - not got a great

:03:58. > :04:05.history in World Cups, Clarence? Well, if you look at what happened

:04:06. > :04:09.with all the talent that went all over the place between Ukraine,

:04:10. > :04:15.Yugoslavia and et cetera, so they lost a lot of potential and they are

:04:16. > :04:19.rebuilding. They have talented players. I like the last 20 or 30

:04:20. > :04:25.minutes in the second half. They have played better. A lack of pace

:04:26. > :04:30.about them, though, possibly? Yes, but they can adapt with the way they

:04:31. > :04:35.play. They have a style like Mexico, you know. They will make you run.

:04:36. > :04:40.They pass the ball through the lines. I like them. I like them.

:04:41. > :04:46.Alan made a great point. Dries Mertens is a very good player. When

:04:47. > :04:51.he came on the other day, I saw him play with Napoli, he is a very good

:04:52. > :04:58.player. I'm looking forward to seeing him today. OK. Let's have a

:04:59. > :05:04.look at the scene at the Maracana. There's plenty of Belgian support,

:05:05. > :05:12.as you might expect. A number of Red Devils. A sort of Fellaini wig and

:05:13. > :05:23.somewhere outside the ground is Mark Chapman. No, that's not him!

:05:24. > :05:27.Here we are outside the Maracana. This is our third game at this

:05:28. > :05:31.stadium. Few things are different. There are a lot more police and

:05:32. > :05:35.police dogs around after the security problems ahead of the

:05:36. > :05:38.Chile-Spain game when the Chilean fans stormed the media centre. The

:05:39. > :05:43.other difference is that the atmosphere is not quite as great.

:05:44. > :05:46.Despite him! The Argentine and the Chilean fans are much more

:05:47. > :05:50.passionate and they were here four hours before kick-off. The fans are

:05:51. > :05:53.numerous here. There is plenty of anticipation and once we get in the

:05:54. > :05:57.ground, we will get the same atmosphere.

:05:58. > :06:01.GARY LINEKER: More on tonight's game in a moment. Let's hear from

:06:02. > :06:09.England's vice-captain, Frank Lampard.

:06:10. > :06:20.You have been through many regimes, many exits from major tournaments.

:06:21. > :06:25.How did the feelings compare at the Uruguay match to others? They are

:06:26. > :06:29.all as bad as each other! It is hard to describe it in words. They are

:06:30. > :06:38.all bad. Getting knocked out of a World Cup is horrible. There is a

:06:39. > :06:42.popular bandwagon to jump on - give players a chance outside the top

:06:43. > :06:47.four. Does that benefit you when you get to major tournaments? Champions

:06:48. > :06:50.League football now, in my time, even in football, Champions League

:06:51. > :06:55.has gone to a different level. When we played Bayern Munich in the final

:06:56. > :07:01.at Chelsea, we couldn't have got a harder game plan against Brazil,

:07:02. > :07:05.Argentina, or any of them teams. The general consensus would have been

:07:06. > :07:09.that that is the squad. You can't say it was a crazy squad that got

:07:10. > :07:14.picked. That is the thing. How do those English players get that

:07:15. > :07:17.experience? They get here. Even the ones who didn't play will be

:07:18. > :07:21.stronger for it the next time. Hopefully, we go to France with a

:07:22. > :07:27.stronger set-up. Roy is the right man for the job. He has taken this

:07:28. > :07:33.squad on from when he picked it up at the last Euros, the young

:07:34. > :07:37.players. Everyone knows how he wants to play and there is the stability

:07:38. > :07:43.thing. We can look here for answers and say get rid of the manager, get

:07:44. > :07:46.rid of the old players, we have to take perspective. I do think Roy is

:07:47. > :07:52.the man to do that. GARY LINEKER: We will be hearing the

:07:53. > :07:57.thoughts of Steven Gerrard and Roy Hodgson at half-time. Back to

:07:58. > :08:01.Belgium versus Russia. They met in 1986 in the first knockout stage

:08:02. > :08:05.when Russia were part of the Soviet Union. The match was a classic.

:08:06. > :08:18.COMMENTARY: Belgium kick-off in the all red strip attacking the goal to

:08:19. > :08:30.the right. Belanov! He's hit the foot of the post. Here's a chance.

:08:31. > :08:41.They must score. Chipped up to the far post. Is this number two? It is.

:08:42. > :08:46.He's hit the bar. 2-2! That's the final whistle. It is 2-2 and it

:08:47. > :08:58.isn't over yet. Chipped into the middle and it's in! It's four! It's

:08:59. > :09:03.a penalty. Belanov's hat-trick. That was the last touch of the match and

:09:04. > :09:08.the Belgians celebrate. One of the greatest victories in the history of

:09:09. > :09:13.the World Cup. Great to hear the voice there of

:09:14. > :09:21.Tony Gubba. That game was interesting. I need to get this off

:09:22. > :09:24.my chest! That game cost me being European Footballer of the Year,

:09:25. > :09:30.getting the Golden Boot. He scored a hat-trick, he was a one-game wonder

:09:31. > :09:37.and the whole of the Eastern Bloc got together and voted for him. I'm

:09:38. > :09:47.not bitter. Not at all(!) He never did anything else. I feel your pain.

:09:48. > :09:54.I went through it with Nedved. I feel sorry for you two(!) Belgium

:09:55. > :09:59.went all the way to the semifinals and then they came against Maradona.

:10:00. > :10:06.Remember those goals? I remember those goals. I was in the west

:10:07. > :10:17.Indies at that time watching it. He had no right to finish like the way

:10:18. > :10:24.he did. It's Maradona. He won that World Cup in '86, for me. Anything

:10:25. > :10:33.you want to blame him for? Funnily enough, it was THIS day in 1986, it

:10:34. > :10:39.was the hand of God! It was this very day, 28 years ago. Crikey. I'm

:10:40. > :10:44.seeing him tonight. He's invited me on his chatshow. You had to get that

:10:45. > :10:48.in! That will be quite an experience. The Belgians had a

:10:49. > :10:52.useful team four years later in Italy losing to England in the last

:10:53. > :10:56.16. That was Platt. They failed to qualify for the last two World Cups.

:10:57. > :11:04.Is this their time? Dan Walker investigates.

:11:05. > :11:11.It ended with a goal. This goal. COMMENTARY: It's David Platt.

:11:12. > :11:17.Elation for England. The Belgians bashful, out of the 1990 World Cup,

:11:18. > :11:23.a golden generation gone. 24 years later, optimism has returned to the

:11:24. > :11:29.lowlands, so much expectation placed on such young shoulders. Belgium

:11:30. > :11:32.thinks we are going to be World Champions. We are favourite in our

:11:33. > :11:35.group. It is a different pressure to deal with. We haven't been in a

:11:36. > :11:40.position like this before. We have always been the golden underdogs.

:11:41. > :11:45.The golden generation - a familiar phrase, a tainted phrase. But in

:11:46. > :11:59.Belgium, this generation has been moulded, crafted and planned.

:12:00. > :12:10.That night in Bologna, one man was paying attention. He created a

:12:11. > :12:14.Belgian blueprint. He showed youngsters who were not getting

:12:15. > :12:18.enough ball time, they were not skilful enough, the national team

:12:19. > :12:40.were too negative. A plan was implemented in 2006, all national

:12:41. > :12:44.teams were to play 4 -- 4- 3-3. Perhaps the gratest football rev

:12:45. > :12:49.liegs -- greatest football revolution was avoiding a brain

:12:50. > :12:52.drain. Most of the squad resisted temptation to move abroad too early.

:12:53. > :13:09.A band of brothers was formed. The golden generation is here. The

:13:10. > :13:11.Belgium plan is to keep evolving. Belgium keeps producing young

:13:12. > :13:19.players that are really good. That is to do with the belief that we can

:13:20. > :13:23.do it. In my mindset, I want to win it. Until it's proven otherwise, I

:13:24. > :13:30.don't believe any team is stronger than my team.

:13:31. > :13:35.The atmosphere is building inside the Maracana and one man who has

:13:36. > :13:39.pitted his wits against many of the current Belgium squad is Philip

:13:40. > :13:42.Neville. He is with Mark Chapman. Yes, you have pitted your wits

:13:43. > :13:47.against several of them. You have played with and coached one of them

:13:48. > :13:52.in particular, and Marouane Fellaini made a huge difference for Belgium

:13:53. > :13:58.in their first game against Algeria? He did. He was devastated before the

:13:59. > :14:02.game when he wasn't starting. He came on and made a massive impress.

:14:03. > :14:07.Belgium went more direct, when they brought Mertens on and that suited

:14:08. > :14:11.them. Is that his best position, for you, further forward, not a

:14:12. > :14:13.defensive midfielder, maybe off the frontman but given licence to roam?

:14:14. > :14:18.I think frontman but given licence to roam?

:14:19. > :14:26.forward, because of the sheer size of him, he causes problems for

:14:27. > :14:29.defenderses. -- defenders. Both sides use their substitutions well

:14:30. > :14:33.in their opening games and you are looking at the impact of

:14:34. > :14:39.substitutions in this World Cup? Russia in the first game, they were

:14:40. > :14:45.down-and-out and they brought Kerzhakov off and he scored with his

:14:46. > :14:49.first touch. Belgium used it in the first game and we will see more

:14:50. > :14:53.today. Both substitutes getting the goals against Algeria. You were in

:14:54. > :14:55.the studio and Fabio Capello's side - you are smiling - but they didn't

:14:56. > :15:03.impress you? probably one of the poorest sides

:15:04. > :15:07.I've seen in the tournament so farren that first game showing. You

:15:08. > :15:10.see a totally different Russian side today, they'll probably be a bit

:15:11. > :15:15.more adventurous, well I hope they are. Fabio Capello, in four years'

:15:16. > :15:21.time, the World Cup is in Russia and he needs to prepare for that. Russia

:15:22. > :15:27.will be more adventurous today, you heard it here, guys!

:15:28. > :15:32.Here is how Belgium line up: Courtois will return to Chelsea for

:15:33. > :15:36.the new season after three years on loan at Atletico Madrid. Kompany has

:15:37. > :15:44.overcome a groin strain to keep his place.

:15:45. > :15:50.Fellaini's goal-scoring introduction against Algeria earned him a spot.

:15:51. > :15:54.And Mertens is recalled on the right.

:15:55. > :15:59.Hazard will roam from the left in support of Lukaku.

:16:00. > :16:03.And Lukaku is an interesting young talent, Alan. Divides heroin

:16:04. > :16:09.actually within the game, doesn't he? He's 21 years of age, we mustn't

:16:10. > :16:14.forget. That is why he was sent off on loan last year. I watched him

:16:15. > :16:19.quite a lot last year and he's got all the attributes to be, I think, a

:16:20. > :16:24.top-class forward, if he keeps improving and learning, which Robert

:16:25. > :16:29.toe Martinez says he has a great attitude -- Roberto. He's very good

:16:30. > :16:33.at coming off the right hand side, coming on the left foot. He's big,

:16:34. > :16:41.strong, quick. He's powerful. But there are one or two things that he

:16:42. > :16:48.still has to learn. This is the previous game against Algeria and he

:16:49. > :16:52.never had one touch inside the 18-yard box which his record goals

:16:53. > :16:55.wise he only has six goals in 30 games. This is what he has to

:16:56. > :17:02.improve on I think, with his back to goal. He should be laying that ball

:17:03. > :17:10.off there to Hazard. It's going to take him time. It's going to take

:17:11. > :17:14.time to get used to it. His first touch is poor there.

:17:15. > :17:18.No-one really around him there. And this is the one here, his body shape

:17:19. > :17:22.is all wrong when he takes this ball, with his back to the defender,

:17:23. > :17:26.when he should be taking it on the half turn. The first touch on the

:17:27. > :17:32.half turn so he can start running at the back four there. But that he

:17:33. > :17:38.will learn. He got substituted after about an hour and he didn't do this.

:17:39. > :17:42.Origi came on, another youngster, he wasn't direct or powerful. I'm

:17:43. > :17:46.pretty sure he can do that, the coach believes in him, he's kept him

:17:47. > :17:52.in the team today, I would love to see him go out and have a good game

:17:53. > :17:57.today. Seen a lot of good stuff from Lukaku in Everton? He's a great

:17:58. > :18:01.talent. People were wondering whether they should have kept him at

:18:02. > :18:09.Chelsea, but for me it was a great thing that he went to Everton. Yes.

:18:10. > :18:13.He wouldn't have played that amount of games at Everton that he would

:18:14. > :18:19.have done at Chelsea. We saw what he could do. There is pressure because

:18:20. > :18:23.he may not have started has Benteke been fit so a lot of responsibility

:18:24. > :18:28.on him for a young guy. Hazard excites us all, as a player, doesn't

:18:29. > :18:31.he, Clarence? Absolutely. The whole team is individually on a high level

:18:32. > :18:35.if you look at all the players are playing at the moment and the way

:18:36. > :18:39.they are performing, especially the second half. It's really, really

:18:40. > :18:51.good to see. Enough about Belgium for now. A guide to the Russians

:18:52. > :18:55.now, by Patrick Geary. We all remember Fabio Capello as

:18:56. > :19:02.England boss at the last World Cup. Lampard! It's in! It was in. No?

:19:03. > :19:05.That surely crossed the line. Now he leads Russia. His task will be to

:19:06. > :19:13.get the side out of the group stage, something they failed to do in 1994

:19:14. > :19:17.and 2002 and have never done since leaving USSR.

:19:18. > :19:22.The Soviet Union had a better record, reaching the semi-finals in

:19:23. > :19:31.1966, losing out to West Germany at Goodison Park. Russia's manager has

:19:32. > :19:36.World Cup credentials as a player. Capello scored in the 1974

:19:37. > :19:41.tournaments for Italy. He'll need the new charges to start finding the

:19:42. > :19:47.back of the net. Three strikers he's brought with him.

:19:48. > :19:56.Kerzhakov will be a key man. No-one else in the squad ever played in the

:19:57. > :20:00.finals before this tournament. Capello's picked the following team:

:20:01. > :20:08.Akinfeev remains in goal despite what he called a childish mistake

:20:09. > :20:14.for South Korea's goal. Ignashevich gets his 100th cap.

:20:15. > :20:21.Midfield is unchanged. Glushakov will shield defence. The play maker

:20:22. > :20:28.will be Shatov. Great surname! Kanunnikov comes in preference.

:20:29. > :20:32.Clarence, the keeper made a howler in the first game, but I remember

:20:33. > :20:37.four years ago Capello left out Green after he did a similar thing

:20:38. > :20:42.but he's stuck by Akinfeev? Yes. Capello, the first thing he looks at

:20:43. > :20:49.when he's building the team is a keeper. When he came to Real Madrid,

:20:50. > :20:54.he said he wanted a keeper he could trust. It happens, you know. Can he

:20:55. > :20:59.trust this fella now though, that's the question? I reckon he has

:21:00. > :21:06.personality enough to come back and perform the way he can. When

:21:07. > :21:09.mistakes are made in midfield and upfront, he needs to be able to

:21:10. > :21:13.afford that. When you have a game like that, Thierry though, the next

:21:14. > :21:19.game for a keeper is huge, isn't it? I mean, it is. It's difficult. It

:21:20. > :21:23.still can be 0-0, or if someone misses a pass or whatever, as soon

:21:24. > :21:27.as they do a mistake, it's a goal. You have to take that into

:21:28. > :21:34.consideration. It's not an easy task for them. It's one time. Give him

:21:35. > :21:38.another chance. If I was the coach, I would be saying any chance at all,

:21:39. > :21:45.you get that shot in on target as early as possible. What we've done

:21:46. > :21:51.as players too! Correct. Kerzhakov is on the bench. Off the bench to

:21:52. > :21:57.score the equaliser in the first game. It shows why they lack goals a

:21:58. > :22:03.little bit. He's their top scorer of all-time or equal now, with 26 goals

:22:04. > :22:08.in 82 games, it's a low record comparing with others? When you look

:22:09. > :22:13.at other records that other players have got, he had 26. It's not a

:22:14. > :22:18.great return. He obviously has an eye for goal though, right place

:22:19. > :22:24.right time, and teams need them. We saw that with Germany and Klose. You

:22:25. > :22:36.have got to be there and stick it in. It's a great knack to have.

:22:37. > :22:41.The crowd are gathering now. Clarence, I suppose we'd fancy

:22:42. > :22:47.Belgium largely to come out on top in this game? We were just speaking

:22:48. > :22:51.about Mertens. He's such a wonderful player. Sometimes when he started,

:22:52. > :23:00.he didn't perform that well. Every time he came in, he changed the

:23:01. > :23:05.game, every time. Impact player. Don't forget that if they don't

:23:06. > :23:09.concede, they would have gone on to win the game for me. That changed

:23:10. > :23:14.the whole game. So we'll see what happens today.

:23:15. > :23:18.Just before we hand over, an alternative commentary is available

:23:19. > :23:25.on the red button. Hacker the Dog is talking us through the game, of all

:23:26. > :23:28.things! We have our very own hackers, Martin Keown and Jonathan

:23:29. > :23:43.Pearce, you will hear from them after the anthems.

:23:44. > :23:45.Courtois Mignolet. Casteels Alderweireld. Ciman bomb bomb

:23:46. > :23:47.Kompany van Buyten Kompany. Van Buyten. Vanden Borre Vertonghen

:23:48. > :23:56.Gloucestershire Dembele Dembele. Defour. De Bruyne. Fellaini Hazard

:23:57. > :24:37.Courtois Mignolet. Casteels Alderweireld. Ciman bomb bomb

:24:38. > :24:43.# Rossiya, svyashchennaya nasha derzhava

:24:44. > :24:55.# Rossiya, lyubimaya nasha strana Moguchaya volya, velikaya slava

:24:56. > :25:12.# Slav'sya, Otechestvo nashe svobodnoye

:25:13. > :25:26.# Bratskih narodov soyuz vekovoi Predkami dannaya mudrost' narodnaya

:25:27. > :25:39.# Strana My gordimsya toboi Ot yuzhnyh morei do polyarnogo

:25:40. > :25:43.# Raskinulis' nashi lesa i polya Odna ty na svete Odna ty takaya

:25:44. > :26:11.nah. Good afternoon, everybody. Both of these sides had to rely on

:26:12. > :26:16.substitutions in the last games. Russia were ordinary against South

:26:17. > :26:19.Korea. Belgium's young whizz kid guards against Russia's ageing

:26:20. > :26:24.veteran defenders is very much the story of today. A win for Belgium

:26:25. > :26:32.and they'll be through to the second phase. Kompany has won the fitness

:26:33. > :26:37.battle with a groin strain. Vertonghen on one yellow is not

:26:38. > :26:43.risked. Fellaini who took five minutes to score here as a sub after

:26:44. > :26:47.1431 minutes without a Manchester United goal. Mertens the other

:26:48. > :26:52.scoring sub against Algeria, they both start.

:26:53. > :26:57.Hazard plays despite a bruised toe. Lukaku gets another chance, despite

:26:58. > :27:02.failing to get a single touch in the opposition penalty area the other

:27:03. > :27:06.evening. He'll lead the line that's very much the core of that midfield

:27:07. > :27:19.with Fellaini heading forward to support the strikers.

:27:20. > :27:24.The referee is very experienced. Kompany's fitness is absolutely

:27:25. > :27:32.crucial for Belgium. Kept six clean sheets in Ken qualifiers. He was the

:27:33. > :27:42.rock at back for them. -- ten qualifiers.

:27:43. > :27:47.Differing from his unsympathetic treatment four years ago. Capello

:27:48. > :28:03.keeps faith with the keeper despite the appalling mistake in South

:28:04. > :28:17.Korea's goal. Moscow's Kozlov replacesishish. Ishchenko. I think

:28:18. > :28:22.Shatov will be more to the right hand side. We'll wait and see.

:28:23. > :28:28.Sometimes the official line-ups given out by FIFA are not quite

:28:29. > :28:32.correct. Here is Marc Wilmots who scored the winner when these

:28:33. > :28:36.countries met in the finals in 2002, a terrific game in the Far East.

:28:37. > :28:42.Fabio Capello building a slide for the 2018 finals in Russia. He has a

:28:43. > :28:48.contact through to those finals. We have the sun out in the Maracana,

:28:49. > :28:54.the largest stadium in South America. Holds 200,000, as it did in

:28:55. > :29:03.the 1950 deciding game. I can't see too many empty seats.

:29:04. > :29:12.Origi is a bit of a flyer. Will Russia bring on Kerzhakov to get

:29:13. > :29:14.what would be a record-breaking goal for his country? He came on the

:29:15. > :29:27.other day. The keeper said the schoolboy error

:29:28. > :29:39.would not be repeated. The referee checking with the match

:29:40. > :29:45.delegate before we can get off and under way. Great aeriel shot of this

:29:46. > :30:03.famous old restored stadium. theatre. A dream come true for so

:30:04. > :30:16.many of the supporters here seeing World Cup matches in the great

:30:17. > :30:25.MacAskill. -- in the great Maracana. Here's Van Buyten of Bayern Munich.

:30:26. > :30:31.MARTIN KEOWN: Looking forward to see how the Russian goalkeeper fares

:30:32. > :30:38.today, Akinfeev, and see how his confidence will be in this match.

:30:39. > :30:40.Russia are unbeaten in 11 games going back to the defeat against

:30:41. > :30:51.Northern Ireland last August. Van Buyten, the only Belgium player

:30:52. > :30:55.with World Cup experience. Mertens made a real difference to the side

:30:56. > :30:59.when he came on. He forces the first corner of the afternoon.

:31:00. > :31:02.Straightaway, it is the Belgiums down that right-hand side, Mertens

:31:03. > :31:15.looks really tricky. Kompany moving forward from the

:31:16. > :31:23.back. Watch for the run of number 8 Marouane Fellaini. It goes to the

:31:24. > :31:28.near post and Fellaini had made a run, but it was dropped in in front

:31:29. > :31:34.of him. This is a potential Russian breakaway, four on two. Where have

:31:35. > :31:38.the Belgium defenders gone? They haven't got back from the corner.

:31:39. > :31:55.Now, the referee stops it. Russia have a problem. It's Samedov who is

:31:56. > :32:01.down. Just a clash of heads with Vermaelen. Samedov will feel that.

:32:02. > :32:05.They really left themselves exposed there from that set-piece. If you

:32:06. > :32:11.look at the height advantage, every player is over 6ft. On the break,

:32:12. > :32:18.they look susceptible. Favourite of the coach, Aleksander Samedov. He's

:32:19. > :32:32.really bought into Capello's meticulous attention to detail. He's

:32:33. > :32:40.closeted his players away. It's in an isolated area. I wonder if the

:32:41. > :32:49.players will complain of boredom. The England players said it did four

:32:50. > :32:53.years ago. If ever a team reflected their manager, boring in the first

:32:54. > :33:00.match, but resolute. They will give everything in this match. The flair

:33:01. > :33:04.will come from Belgium. Samedov came off the worst from that clash with

:33:05. > :33:09.Vermaelen. Speculation he will be leaving Arsenal and going to Napoli.

:33:10. > :33:14.Dries Mertens is on the left today - on the right I should say for

:33:15. > :33:18.Belgium. He plays for Napoli and the rumour is he is trying to get him

:33:19. > :33:20.over to Italian football but Arsene Wenger has repeated he is going

:33:21. > :33:47.nowhere. Kevin De Bruyne sometimes sparkles

:33:48. > :33:51.for Wolfsburg, but he can sometimes disappear out of games. He is some

:33:52. > :33:53.talent, though, as Chelsea fans will know.

:33:54. > :34:02.This is dangerous. Mertens in behind. Again, Lukaku back in the

:34:03. > :34:04.middle beyond him. Hazard. Going through a bit of pain with a toe

:34:05. > :34:32.injury. Back it goes to Witsel. I said to a Belgium reporter,

:34:33. > :34:43.describe Witsel to me, he said, "He is like a Mini Me of Fellaini." He

:34:44. > :34:47.is. That was a good touch. Fellaini is a totally different player

:34:48. > :34:52.playing for Belgium. He is much more effective.

:34:53. > :35:00.Disappointing season and he's got a lot to prove here. Belgium will have

:35:01. > :35:05.the least number of miles to travel in the group stages of any country

:35:06. > :35:13.here. Hazard is looking for Fellaini. Glushakov away. Back to

:35:14. > :35:22.Kanunnikov. Tried to get back, Hazard with the dummy.

:35:23. > :35:30.Faizulin tried to keep it in. It's a Belgium throw. Witsel there - that

:35:31. > :35:35.is what he is good at. Lends himself across, in front of that back four.

:35:36. > :35:42.He can play as well. He likes to receive it off the defence. We saw a

:35:43. > :35:47.close-up of a player - and he was a player - Marc Wilmots. A record

:35:48. > :35:53.World Cup scorer for Belgium with five. As you were saying earlier, he

:35:54. > :35:57.scored in the final game of 2002 against Russia. He had a headed goal

:35:58. > :36:00.disallowed against Brazil in Round Two. He still claims that goal

:36:01. > :36:28.should have been allowed. When he wins that ball, De Bruyne

:36:29. > :36:32.wants to break forward alongside Fellaini. The wingers for Belgium

:36:33. > :36:38.are looking sharp in those opening exchanges. Number 22, Kevin De

:36:39. > :37:02.Bruyne. Ignashevich made his debut 12 years

:37:03. > :37:07.ago now. We saw a close-up of Sepp Blatter during the anthems,

:37:08. > :37:12.presumably so we wouldn't hear any boos because he has been booed at

:37:13. > :37:21.grounds when he's been seen before. The FIFA President. De Bruyne again.

:37:22. > :37:23.It is interesting how they work in their midfield, Belgium are quite

:37:24. > :37:33.happy to defend and get forward as well. All-purpose midfield players

:37:34. > :37:38.they have got there. The ball swung up by Van Buyten. Hazard's touch.

:37:39. > :37:39.You can see how high Fellaini is playing already. Hazard trying to

:37:40. > :37:49.trick his way down the line. If you are Lukaku, you have to be

:37:50. > :37:52.very patient. Rarely, do they look to go into him. He is such a big

:37:53. > :38:02.man. That variation is missing at the beginning. Header on by Kokorin,

:38:03. > :38:14.who is spoken of as the future of Russian football. A word for the

:38:15. > :38:28.right back. That was a definite foul. Only speaks Flemish. In the

:38:29. > :38:37.past, Belgian sides have had a few communication problems. Decent ball

:38:38. > :38:46.forward by Mertens, looking for Lukaku. Faizulin got in there.

:38:47. > :38:48.Witsel. Covers so much ground. It is effortless for Witsel. He covers the

:38:49. > :38:59.ground beautifully. The ball comes through to Mertens.

:39:00. > :39:07.Witsel, by the way, is said to fancy a move to the Premier League.

:39:08. > :39:33.Two men on Hazard. Vermaelen with the cross. Fellaini challenging. He

:39:34. > :39:39.was offside as soon as he moved towards the goalkeeper and became

:39:40. > :39:43.active. They still haven't tested the goalkeeper yet. Akinfeev will be

:39:44. > :39:51.relieved about that. He is taking no chances. He is not going to catch

:39:52. > :40:01.any of them. The first time as the Russian senior goalkeeper he is

:40:02. > :40:07.under a bit of pressure from Lodygin. He was their goalkeeper at

:40:08. > :40:12.Euro 2008. He has to make that ball stick,

:40:13. > :40:33.Jonathan, in order for Russia to He has to make that ball stick,

:40:34. > :40:35.up. In the first game. No. His ball retention is a worry. He is always

:40:36. > :40:41.looking on the shoulder of the last defender, but you have to keep it as

:40:42. > :40:49.well. Good touch by Mertens. He has started in lively fashion.

:40:50. > :40:52.Russia haven't reached the second round in two World Cups in the

:40:53. > :41:28.post-Soviet era. That's a Russian throw. Kokorin.

:41:29. > :41:34.There you saw Kokorin on the shoulder of the last defender. He is

:41:35. > :41:43.very good at that. He's back into the middle now, Kokorin. Faizulin.

:41:44. > :41:50.Shatov. Gets it again. Fellaini ahead of him. Can he get the shot

:41:51. > :42:06.there. Coming across the edge of the box. Faizulin a little dummy, gets

:42:07. > :42:10.his shot off and the keeper does very well. This is already better

:42:11. > :42:16.than what I have seen from Russia in the whole tournament. Good

:42:17. > :42:24.interchange play. Courtois on his toes. 154 games for Atletico Madrid

:42:25. > :42:26.the Chelsea player, but he will be at the Bridge next season with Jose

:42:27. > :42:33.Mourinho. What a waste that was. Terrible

:42:34. > :42:53.corner. He has the space in front of him to

:42:54. > :42:55.attack. There is nothing worse than a central defender going up for a

:42:56. > :43:14.corner and it comes to nothing. Kompany. Vermaelen. Looking for

:43:15. > :43:17.Lukaku. He has to win those personal battles against Berezutskiy and

:43:18. > :43:23.Ignashevich, the veteran centre-backs. Berezutskiy has come

:43:24. > :43:33.right in front of him. Lukaku has to be on the move when he receives

:43:34. > :43:41.those balls. Kokorin. Unaware - gives it away. This is De Bruyne.

:43:42. > :43:45.Starting well. Beyond Ignashevich. A chance for Belgium. Should he have

:43:46. > :43:55.shot? He looked for Lukaku instead. The chance was gone. De Bruyne makes

:43:56. > :44:02.a fantastic run there. Look at this. He wants to make something happen.

:44:03. > :44:10.Looks out wide to Mertens and, for me, I thought he might pull the

:44:11. > :44:15.trigger. Great defending in the end. The form Lukaku is in, I might have

:44:16. > :44:23.gone for a shot there myself! Lukaku to Mertens. De Bruyne. Fellaini

:44:24. > :44:27.making the run beyond him. Bright start by De Bruyne. Chelsea made a

:44:28. > :44:39.?9 million profit on him but he only played nine games for them. Should

:44:40. > :45:11.he have played more? A steadying influence that is Vincent Kompany.

:45:12. > :45:38.That was beautiful. As well as he can play, to get back there and do

:45:39. > :45:43.the defensive side of his game as well, that was first-class.

:45:44. > :46:07.Who will start to shine consistently at these World Cup Finals?

:46:08. > :46:22.This is a team that is full of interest.

:46:23. > :46:23.together as a team, as a unit, lots of individuals, can they start to

:46:24. > :46:50.play together as a team? Foul against Kompany. Boos from the

:46:51. > :47:06.crowd. Hazard. Look at the space there. . Left foot

:47:07. > :47:21.cross. Lukaku taking up a good position.

:47:22. > :47:24.Doesn't look the same player he was struggling all those months for

:47:25. > :47:30.Manchester United. Good play. Good ball in. You see

:47:31. > :47:36.another example, going on to the other foot. Difficult to deal with,

:47:37. > :47:53.too much height on it. Fellaini will be feeding off those.

:47:54. > :47:58.Fellaini missed some games this season.

:47:59. > :48:23.He was a fish out of water at Old Trafford.

:48:24. > :48:38.Mertens kept drifting into a more central position in the last game.

:48:39. > :48:48.They want to get their wide players into a much higher position. Hazard

:48:49. > :48:49.a very, very tricky player. Retaining possession at the moment

:48:50. > :49:16.and are quite happy just to keep it. The Mexico wave in the Maracana. You

:49:17. > :49:29.can see a ripple amongst those fans there now in the sunshine.

:49:30. > :49:46.A gentle breeze as well. Mertens has got a run now. Checks out. You see

:49:47. > :49:51.that trickery that he has? This fella is very difficult to play

:49:52. > :49:55.against. He's just simple, runs at his defender, nobody getting title

:49:56. > :50:01.to him, comes on to his right foot. Should be hitting the fact from

:50:02. > :50:05.there for me. -- the target from there for me.

:50:06. > :50:20.He had a good end to the season with Napoli, his team. Scored five out of

:50:21. > :50:43.seven. He's only 27. At his sixth club.

:50:44. > :50:47.It wouldn't surprise me if Origi comes on later because the centre

:50:48. > :50:56.backs will be moved around. Good ball into the box there. The

:50:57. > :51:08.build-up to that was a lot better. Now, can they get Mertens with a

:51:09. > :51:45.direct run? Great ball there, by the way. Helps

:51:46. > :51:50.it on. It's a one versus one again. Nightmare for the defender. Forces

:51:51. > :51:54.him far enough away from the goal. Lukaku should be joining in that

:51:55. > :52:05.box. Has no option but to go for goal. You can see why Chelsea were

:52:06. > :52:09.prepared to send him out on loan. He hasn't done enough really.

:52:10. > :52:13.Definitely. It's whether he's got enough quality in his technique,

:52:14. > :52:17.enough hunger. Enwhir in possession of the ball, if you can see your

:52:18. > :52:23.centre Forward Moving quickly into an area, you give him the ball, but

:52:24. > :52:50.it doesn't really show in his body language that he wants it.

:52:51. > :53:05.Kombarov scored an own goal in Spartak Moscow a few seasons ago.

:53:06. > :53:39.Oh, dear. That hurts. For both players. Nasty.

:53:40. > :53:55.Unbeaten in four matches. Steady form.

:53:56. > :54:02.Water treatment for the players below us. One of them was Fellaini.

:54:03. > :54:30.The official was quick to stop that. I don't know why.

:54:31. > :54:49.Vermaelen to De Bruyne. Mayor coming into the box. Corner kick given.

:54:50. > :54:57.Mertens is one of the full back nightmares. Comes inside like he's

:54:58. > :55:09.not there. Good defending, covering from behind.

:55:10. > :55:25.De Bruyne. Good movement from him so far. Not a good final ball though.

:55:26. > :55:39.Akinfeev's confidence is building nicely in the game. In the Soviet

:55:40. > :55:44.Union days, they met ate times. -- eight times.

:55:45. > :55:48.Since the break-up, Russia didn't seem to let the goal scorers in. Was

:55:49. > :56:22.that a foul? Witsel. Lukaku.

:56:23. > :56:26.Mertens. Too deep for Hazard who needs support now.

:56:27. > :56:33.Vermaelen is moving. In the end, he was ineffective.

:56:34. > :56:55.Vermaelen's fouled. Just about gets away with that one.

:56:56. > :57:00.Actually makes contact with his opponent's foot. Doesn't really take

:57:01. > :57:07.the ball. Lucky to get away with that. Look at it again. Catches the

:57:08. > :57:20.back of his foot. It's a penalty for me. Yes.

:57:21. > :57:30.Lukaku is a little sluggish in his movement. Moses under a bit of

:57:31. > :58:22.pressure. No real attacking threat by Russia

:58:23. > :58:26.at all. No, just relying on Kokorin making runs into the channel. At the

:58:27. > :58:30.moment it's about whether Belgium can set their game out really. So

:58:31. > :59:04.disappointed with Lukaku upfront. To the right side of midfield.

:59:05. > :59:14.Ignashevich look looking for company. Always a danger this. It's

:59:15. > :59:24.hoisted over. The quality in the final third again, isn't it? Lovely

:59:25. > :59:42.ball. Weight on it but can't get a foot around it, Semenov.

:59:43. > :59:56.Blue skies overhead. Little sunshine pen draying the stadium though. It's

:59:57. > :00:01.like a big bowl carved out of the Maracana area. Russia attack down

:00:02. > :00:10.the left hand side and a decent save again was called for. The shot was

:00:11. > :00:14.Parried and brushed away by Courtois.

:00:15. > :00:52.JONATHAN PEARCE: A foul this time by the 22-year-old, Kanunnikov. He made

:00:53. > :01:15.his debut against Slovakia in May. There's a substitution here. Thomas

:01:16. > :01:20.Vermaelen goes off to be replaced by Vertonghen.

:01:21. > :01:28.MARTIN KEOWN: Like-for-like. He was distraught going down the tunnel,

:01:29. > :01:32.Martin. He has had so many disappointments this season. Missing

:01:33. > :01:39.out in the Cup Final. It can only get better for him. At Arsenal?

:01:40. > :01:49.Well, that remains to be seen. I don't think this will help. It is

:01:50. > :01:53.all about playing, Jonathan. Missed the Cup Final with a gashed knee,

:01:54. > :01:57.but he wouldn't have been first choice? Of course. He served the

:01:58. > :02:02.club with great dignity not playing in the match, but sitting there in a

:02:03. > :02:04.final it hurts. And going off in a World Cup game like this, it is

:02:05. > :02:47.sickening for any player. We haven't seen a great deal of Oleg

:02:48. > :02:50.Shatov going forward. He likes to play in that midfield three. He will

:02:51. > :02:54.be one of those that likes to get forward. The game seems to have lost

:02:55. > :03:04.its energy. Vertonghen was running down the

:03:05. > :03:11.left-hand side. Found now by Fellaini.

:03:12. > :03:18.Belgium need to move this ball quicker for me. They need to get it

:03:19. > :03:25.into the final third and getting their wingers on the ball. Lukaku.

:03:26. > :03:28.Finally sees something of the ball. A few moments ago, he made a run and

:03:29. > :03:33.he wasn't seen. Kompany - 61 caps for him now. Van

:03:34. > :03:56.Buyten. Switches play to Samedov. Kozlov on

:03:57. > :04:19.the outside. Russia, with the one point so far,

:04:20. > :04:21.along with the Republic of Korea. Belgium have three. Victory today

:04:22. > :04:36.takes them through. He pinged it at Fellaini! He

:04:37. > :04:42.couldn't control it. Shatov, on to his left foot. That is the lack of

:04:43. > :04:46.quality that we talk about. Shatov is willing to get forward but

:04:47. > :04:51.doesn't have it with that left foot. I'm wondering about Kompany's

:04:52. > :04:55.fitness as well. We have already lost Vermaelen. He was struggling

:04:56. > :05:00.with a groin injury coming into this game. Marc Wilmots said he will be

:05:01. > :05:02.taking no risks with him, though. Presumably, he is OK. We will see

:05:03. > :05:24.how long he lasts. Poor old game of football now,

:05:25. > :05:28.Martin. Faizulin there, he needs to keep the ball on the floor. Don't

:05:29. > :05:37.lift it. You make it so difficult for your team-mate.

:05:38. > :05:45.What can the Napoli winger do? Parried by the goalkeeper. Lovely

:05:46. > :05:48.work by Mertens. So far, the most attacking player and impressive

:05:49. > :05:55.player on the pitch. That is a free-kick for the jump by De Bruyne.

:05:56. > :06:09.Great ball into the channel. Mertens loves these. Just standing up the

:06:10. > :06:13.full-back again. He wants to go outside. For me, he has to do better

:06:14. > :06:19.in that area. He has to look for somebody. He has his head up. He

:06:20. > :06:26.elects - he should be pulling that back. If they get that right, they

:06:27. > :07:07.will go in front. There's the man they call Sergei

:07:08. > :07:14."The Silent" - he says nothing to the media. Good header by Fellaini.

:07:15. > :07:18.Lukaku's run has opened up a space. Blocked by Ignashevich. Should have

:07:19. > :07:29.give it him. Lukaku makes a good run. He ignores it.

:07:30. > :07:46.His first touch was quite heavy. He's ploughed into Dries Mertens. He

:07:47. > :08:02.gets a yellow card. He's pleading his innocence,

:08:03. > :08:09.Glushakov. Just a little glance - yeah, he is late. Stamps right down

:08:10. > :08:17.on him. Didn't get a touch. It is when he comes down on him. You can't

:08:18. > :08:37.condone that at all. Berezutskiy is great at that. You

:08:38. > :08:52.want to get down the sides. And test him for pace.

:08:53. > :09:01.Lukaku, blocked by Ignashevich. That is handball, surely? They are

:09:02. > :09:09.breaking off this, Russia. Kompany, eyes absolutely glued to the ball.

:09:10. > :09:13.Terrific defending. Brilliant. One v one, that is what he is good at -

:09:14. > :09:18.very quick. He looked majestic there, Kompany.

:09:19. > :09:27.That is offside against Fellaini. Brilliant defending by Kompany.

:09:28. > :09:30.Yeah, look at this. He picks his moment. It is what he does

:09:31. > :09:32.afterwards as well, he doesn't panic. He protects the ball well.

:09:33. > :09:47.Then lays it off to his team-mate. A rare breed these days. Good

:09:48. > :09:54.defenders. We have been talking about it over the last 24 hours. You

:09:55. > :10:04.were talking with a World Footballer of the Year about this lack of great

:10:05. > :10:07.defenders. He was saying the art of defending is disappearing. Playing

:10:08. > :10:17.out from the back and wanting to playing a gres sieve -- aggressive

:10:18. > :10:32.football, but don't forget about defending.

:10:33. > :10:40.Five minutes to go. There will be a bit of stoppage-time. Ignashevich

:10:41. > :10:43.coming out from the Russian defence. Nobody put him under any pressure.

:10:44. > :10:56.There is no plan to press people high up the pitch. This is where

:10:57. > :11:01.Russia are likely to be at their most dangerous when they send

:11:02. > :11:03.Berezutskiy forward for corners. The keeper decided to punch away. There

:11:04. > :11:18.was some interference in there. Courtois comes for it. He is a long

:11:19. > :11:31.way out of his goal. Can't really see any contact with him. Very soft

:11:32. > :11:39.decision from the referee. 6ft 6in goalkeeper. He was a Champions

:11:40. > :11:45.League runner-up. What a spell he had in Spain. Twice won the Best

:11:46. > :11:50.Goalkeeper of the Year Award. Some goalkeeper for the future. An

:11:51. > :11:58.unbelievable keeper, isn't he? Everybody that's any good seems to

:11:59. > :12:06.be from Belgium at the moment. There used to be seven or eight superb

:12:07. > :12:14.goalkeepers in the World Cup Finals. It seems like there's Vaseline on

:12:15. > :12:16.the ball in this tournament! Kozlov has done enough to force a corner.

:12:17. > :12:24.This is good from Russia. So often it is the second game that

:12:25. > :12:43.trips up fancied teams. Samedov with the corner kick for

:12:44. > :12:58.Russia. Headed away by Van Buyten. Whistled

:12:59. > :13:07.over. It was worth a try. He couldn't get it down. Came out to

:13:08. > :13:07.Faizulin. Certainly not frightened to shoot. Just not got the

:13:08. > :13:16.technique. Four or five efforts have not found

:13:17. > :13:37.the target. Faizulin there. Kanunnikov has made a difference to

:13:38. > :13:43.them today. Oh, what a chance! Well, this is what we are talking about,

:13:44. > :13:47.about defending, about marking in the box. Kokorin finds himself in

:13:48. > :13:52.between. Which centre-half has got him? No-one. He should punish them.

:13:53. > :13:57.As good as Kompany is, he should be organising that better. He is not

:13:58. > :14:01.going to get a better chance than that. Described as the future of

:14:02. > :14:06.Russian football. He will be quickly in their past unless he takes

:14:07. > :14:12.chances like that. It is a glorious ball in. It is begging to be put in

:14:13. > :14:24.the back of the net. That is a horrible miss. That will haunt him.

:14:25. > :14:36.He was the player involved in that bizarre transfer last season and

:14:37. > :14:44.within a few weeks he was sent back to Dynamo. We have some outstanding

:14:45. > :14:46.strikers in the studio and I am sure they would have loved to have got a

:14:47. > :15:00.chance like that. Unbelievable miss. That is better from Belgium. Hazard

:15:01. > :15:05.to Witsel. Disappointing from Belgium. I would like to see shorter

:15:06. > :15:07.passes from them. It is all very back to front. Not moving it quickly

:15:08. > :15:13.enough. It's been a terrific tournament so

:15:14. > :15:47.far. Fellaini is across there. We are

:15:48. > :15:56.into stoppage time. De Bruyne won it back.

:15:57. > :16:05.Lukaku isn't even looking, is he? Doesn't know where the space is.

:16:06. > :16:10.Handball. Good spot by the ref. Played well I

:16:11. > :16:14.think. Just that one penalty incident that might have been

:16:15. > :16:22.called. Yes. Kokorin will keep running into those channels.

:16:23. > :16:31.Well, Fabio Capello goes off at half time. His team have had the best

:16:32. > :16:37.chance so far. It's been desperately disappointing. A couple of decent

:16:38. > :16:40.balls. Mertens has looked likely for Belgium. It's that chance of Kokorin

:16:41. > :16:43.that will be talked about at half time. 0-0 here at the Maracana.

:16:44. > :16:47.that will be talked about at half time. 0-0 here at the Maracana. So

:16:48. > :16:52.goalless at half time and not a dark horse in sight I would say.

:16:53. > :17:01.It wasn't great was it really? Not at all. There was some opportunities

:17:02. > :17:05.that maybe both teams could have handled better, especially the cross

:17:06. > :17:15.at the end there. It's difficult to call. You don't even know who is

:17:16. > :17:19.playing well, who is playing badly. I've been disappointed in Belgium, I

:17:20. > :17:23.have to say. They haven't offed a lot going forward. They have been

:17:24. > :17:32.poor. They have been hit on the break a few times. A sitter missed

:17:33. > :17:36.before half time. Possibly Clarence Russia should have had a penalty we

:17:37. > :17:40.believe? Definitely a penalty. I don't know what they are looking at,

:17:41. > :17:50.the referee in the last game possibly. He just shoved his foot.

:17:51. > :17:57.Anticipate the ball. It would have been good for the game. We want a

:17:58. > :18:00.goal! Exactly. Irrespective of whether it would have been good for

:18:01. > :18:01.the game, that should have been a penalty. He's been brought down

:18:02. > :18:13.there. He's kicked him. I think the only clear cut

:18:14. > :18:18.opportunity of the entire half came just before half time, the Kokorin

:18:19. > :18:23.header? An absolute sitter, and a peach of a ball from the left hand

:18:24. > :18:28.side. I'm afraid he just has to score it. There's no other thing to

:18:29. > :18:35.say. Great ball in. That's the chance he'd been waiting for. You've

:18:36. > :18:43.got to bury it. You can also say Vertonghen has to realise that the

:18:44. > :18:47.striker is kind of alone and he has to cover Kompany a bit quicker but

:18:48. > :18:50.he should have scored. Russia have counterattacked on occasions and

:18:51. > :18:54.broken quickly, haven't they? But they have not quite finished it off,

:18:55. > :18:59.Clarence? When you have counterattacks, you need to maximise

:19:00. > :19:05.on it. When we train, a lot of fans don't really take it seriously. It

:19:06. > :19:08.happened every game. There is an opportunity to drive the ball. The

:19:09. > :19:14.great run from this player goes to the side. The defender needs to make

:19:15. > :19:18.a choice, stay with the player or ball or I run with the runner to

:19:19. > :19:23.create space and time to get closer to the box and at the last moment

:19:24. > :19:30.decide whether to shoot or get to one of the two runners. Nothing

:19:31. > :19:36.happened. Too early? Yes. Here it can come direct to the ball. He has

:19:37. > :19:38.to go wide so make it open and go forward. Everyone think this is

:19:39. > :19:48.player here. These moments need to be maximised.

:19:49. > :19:57.Thierry, you have got a point on this one. You have to analyse the

:19:58. > :20:02.situation. I would never do that. No disrespect to him, but Kompany is

:20:03. > :20:09.fast, stronger. I would have fancied my chance a bit more at van Buyten

:20:10. > :20:13.there. Alan, concern about Lukaku at the

:20:14. > :20:19.start of the game there and you have more now? It's a tough role he's

:20:20. > :20:26.playing out there. It's tough at any age, never mind at 2. His movement

:20:27. > :20:31.is out there -- at 21. He's not going to score going towards the

:20:32. > :20:35.goal end. He can't do that. If he wants the get the goal-scoring

:20:36. > :20:41.record up, he has to improve. Just look at Hazard running past him

:20:42. > :20:48.here. Again, if he doesn't get in there, he's not going to score

:20:49. > :20:53.goals. The ball bounces off. He has to bring people into play and

:20:54. > :20:59.Thierry, this one for you. Oh, yes, I mean, that's for me an easy goal.

:21:00. > :21:03.Mertens passes his man and for me, you have to go and stop because you

:21:04. > :21:07.don't give him an angle to get the ball right there. That ball was

:21:08. > :21:14.never going to pass across the post and he's looking. He's gone right

:21:15. > :21:19.behind the defender. I don't agree on that one. He's a striker so I

:21:20. > :21:22.understand that, but he's thinking about me making the goals but in

:21:23. > :21:29.that situation there was another player in the box behind him, go on

:21:30. > :21:35.to the First Post and create it at the spot where another midfielder or

:21:36. > :21:38.defender are coming in. Actually we are agreeing because it's Belgium

:21:39. > :21:41.that needs to make a goal. If the guy was outside the box, it would

:21:42. > :21:46.have been at the second post. Since we are talking about Lukaku, if he

:21:47. > :21:50.had stopped there The individual choice. Yes, it would have been an

:21:51. > :21:56.easy tap-in. It's about knowing when to make that run, one for the

:21:57. > :22:01.defender, one for yourself. Tell me about it! Mertens is probably the

:22:02. > :22:07.biggest threat. We were talking about him before the game and he did

:22:08. > :22:15.not let us down. He's having a good game. De Bruyne is too. But Mertens

:22:16. > :22:19.has been the spark of the game. Thierry, he's in an identical

:22:20. > :22:25.position to where he scored against Algeria when he came on. This time

:22:26. > :22:30.he chooses to shoot in this game, sorry, the cross. I wonder if they

:22:31. > :22:34.want to put Lukaku into that World Cup. You know when you want to help

:22:35. > :22:37.a striker so much because you know how good he can be as soon as he

:22:38. > :22:45.gets a goal, I believe that's what they are looking for. Maybe he

:22:46. > :22:50.should have had a goal before. He and De Bruyne are getting the

:22:51. > :22:54.movements and they have caused one or two problems. Roy Hodgson and

:22:55. > :22:58.Steven Gerrard have been talking to the media in the last hour ahead of

:22:59. > :23:04.Tuesday's game against Costa Rica. Here is what they had to say. I'm

:23:05. > :23:09.very pleased that the board have come out and asked me to continue. I

:23:10. > :23:14.think there's a lot of work to be done but I also think that we are on

:23:15. > :23:18.a good path. I can see a lot of possibilities for this team and

:23:19. > :23:22.these players to improve and become better.

:23:23. > :23:25.There's no truth that I'll be making any announcements within a week. I

:23:26. > :23:28.think I need more time than that. I've spoke to the manager this

:23:29. > :23:33.morning and asked him for some time over the summer to consider my

:23:34. > :23:36.future but I certainly won't be rushing into any decision. I think

:23:37. > :23:42.that the players are very, very strong as a group, a solid group. I

:23:43. > :23:46.believe that they are more than accepting of the work that we are

:23:47. > :23:53.trying to do, and they share our belief and goals and vision.

:23:54. > :23:59.I think we came across a Uruguayan side who were cute and clever. They

:24:00. > :24:06.were disruptive. They were difficult to beat. They never the England team

:24:07. > :24:09.get any momentum in going forward. I shall be changing the team. It

:24:10. > :24:13.will be the team which will give people who haven't had much of a

:24:14. > :24:19.chance in the first two games to show what they can do. So if you

:24:20. > :24:23.interpret that as planning for the future, I would understand, but

:24:24. > :24:27.basically, it's not purely playing for the future and it's certainly

:24:28. > :24:30.not purely sentiment, it's making certain that a group of players that

:24:31. > :24:34.I personally believe have done everything they possibly could for

:24:35. > :24:39.me and my country, to give us some success on the field, get a chance

:24:40. > :24:42.at least to go home from this World Cup far too early, bitterly

:24:43. > :24:46.disappointed but at least being able to say that I wasn't there just for

:24:47. > :24:51.the ride, I wasn't there to make up the numbers, I actually took part.

:24:52. > :24:56.I suppose the news there is that there's no real news. One more game

:24:57. > :25:00.to go. He's going to bring in a few fresh faces in a game that to

:25:01. > :25:04.England doesn't mean that much? The guys that haven't been playing will

:25:05. > :25:08.be looking at the past two results and thinking, I deserve a chance now

:25:09. > :25:15.because the results haven't been in favour of England so he has to give

:25:16. > :25:18.other people a chance. In fairness, it's about the others now. It will

:25:19. > :25:24.be a great beginning for the youngsters now and what a platform

:25:25. > :25:28.to perform. Listening to Steven Gerrard saying they were up against

:25:29. > :25:32.a cute, clever and disruptive side. We knew that, they were always going

:25:33. > :25:35.to be like that, we knew that and we weren't good enough to counteract

:25:36. > :25:40.that. I hope he doesn't change too much. The English performance was

:25:41. > :25:45.not that bad. They were encouraging. Yes. They just need to make some

:25:46. > :25:49.changes but keep the key players in. We want to see a performance. They

:25:50. > :25:54.were in a tough group, you know. Italy and Uruguay. Although I know

:25:55. > :25:58.they knew you have to prepare. They are a good team in the group,

:25:59. > :26:01.England. That's my point. I'm saying what about if they were in another

:26:02. > :26:06.group who, knows, maybe they would have grown in confidence from

:26:07. > :26:11.playing a lesser side, I don't know. There are tougher groups out there.

:26:12. > :26:16.Our next live game is here on BBC One, it's USAv Portugal from Manuas,

:26:17. > :26:25.a game that could herald the end of this World Cup for Ronaldo.

:26:26. > :26:46.3-0. Muller is there. Ronaldo will be hoping for better days to come.

:26:47. > :26:54.Dempsey. What a goal! Brookes has hit it in for the USA!

:26:55. > :27:02.I've got a feeling we might see something a bit special from Ronaldo

:27:03. > :27:10.later this evening. You can see the USA v Portugal this evening from 10.

:27:11. > :27:16.30. Follow that game and the Algeria game on the website and on the

:27:17. > :27:21.radio. Let us see what Phillip Neville made of the first 45

:27:22. > :27:25.minutes, with Mark Chapman. When I was outside earlier on, I talked

:27:26. > :27:29.about the difference in atmosphere having two European ties rather than

:27:30. > :27:33.the South America one which has been Argentina and Chile. During that

:27:34. > :27:40.first 45, it's felt like a testimonial? Yes, a real strange

:27:41. > :27:44.atmosphere, low-key, 80% Brazilian fans in here, doing Mexican waves

:27:45. > :27:48.eight minutes in, so the game is being played at a slow tempo. We

:27:49. > :27:52.need more, particularly from Hazard who hasn't got the service yet. I've

:27:53. > :27:56.been surprised he hasn't come in field a bit more to get the ball.

:27:57. > :27:59.Because Mertens has been the main threat he's been peripheral but he

:28:00. > :28:05.should make something happen rather than wait for the ball? Yes, I think

:28:06. > :28:08.so. De Bruyne has played well as well so Hazard doesn't have any

:28:09. > :28:12.service so I would like to see the balls slid in through because we

:28:13. > :28:18.know that Lukaku can run in on the speed. You wanted a quick word on

:28:19. > :28:25.Steven Gerrard. He said he isn't going to rush into a decision. But

:28:26. > :28:28.you think he should stay? I think England need him now more than ever

:28:29. > :28:31.before. We have a lot of young players but we still need his

:28:32. > :28:36.experience. It looks as though the young players look up to him and if

:28:37. > :28:41.I was Roy Hodgson, I would be saying, we can't afford to lose you

:28:42. > :28:45.at this moment in time. You thought Russia would be adventurous in this

:28:46. > :28:50.game. You thought they'd cause more problems? Eye yes, they have created

:28:51. > :28:56.the bichance of the game and could have had a penalty -- best chance. I

:28:57. > :29:03.expect more from Belgium in the second half. Two grumpy Englishmen

:29:04. > :29:07.were sat like that not doing the Mexican waves, Gary!

:29:08. > :29:11.Very reserved us English. Thierry, I want to ask you about the America

:29:12. > :29:16.game coming up. This is your final appearance as you have to leave us

:29:17. > :29:21.after this because the MLS kicks off. Talk about crazy planning? They

:29:22. > :29:27.don't want to show me a goal. I hope you have been training the last ten

:29:28. > :29:29.days! Of course! LAUGHTER

:29:30. > :29:34.What do you think to the USA's chances? They can do a Costa Rica

:29:35. > :29:36.type of result. I think they can beat Portugal, but I can't help

:29:37. > :29:41.thinking that Portugal has to perform. I know everybody is talking

:29:42. > :29:45.about Ronaldo but I'm more a believer of the team has to perform.

:29:46. > :29:51.There could be a few changes in the Portuguese line-up, some forced,

:29:52. > :29:58.some other? Yes, I think that's a good thing for them. I hope that

:29:59. > :30:04.Ronaldo really can enjoy a good game, a real good game where he can

:30:05. > :30:10.do his thing. He deserves it. This is both your last shows, Thierry and

:30:11. > :30:14.Clarence. It's been a delight, we'll talk more later about that sort of

:30:15. > :30:19.thing but your thoughts so far on the tournament? Great. Amazing

:30:20. > :30:26.goals, great movement, surprises. It's amazing, it's been amazing so

:30:27. > :30:31.far. And the Dutch, a word on them? A very promising start for them? It

:30:32. > :30:35.was always a please sure working with your guys, the tournament's

:30:36. > :30:40.given a lot of goals, we are going to enjoy more of that. The better

:30:41. > :30:48.teams, Argentina, Brazil and Holland for sure, we'll make sure we see

:30:49. > :30:52.more of that. Let's hope we get a decent second half with some goals

:30:53. > :30:58.for you. That would be welcome, wouldn't it? Maybe if Benzema was

:30:59. > :31:04.playing I would have enjoyed it. No, the second half always is better

:31:05. > :31:09.usually in big tournaments as we saw yesterday. Hopefully maybe the

:31:10. > :31:13.players will get tired and it will open up a bit. Made some good

:31:14. > :31:18.changes last time. Let's hope he does the same again. Didn't wait

:31:19. > :31:23.that long to make them either, Gary, so if it hasn't changed within five

:31:24. > :31:29.or ten minutes, expect him to put a sub or two on to give an extra bit

:31:30. > :31:34.of pace, urgency and energy. I find a lot of Capello's games like that.

:31:35. > :31:40.It's all about the result with Capello. Exactly.

:31:41. > :31:49.GARY LINEKER: The two teams are coming out for the second half so we

:31:50. > :31:52.can re-join Martin Keown, who is alongside Jonathan Pearce.

:31:53. > :31:58.JONATHAN PEARCE: Thanks, Gary. It looks as if Marc Wilmots has

:31:59. > :32:05.resisted the urge to change at the break. Belgium make their way out

:32:06. > :32:10.all in red. To the goal away to our left-hand side. It is where the bulk

:32:11. > :32:15.of their supporters are in numbers. Two big enclaves of red and yellow

:32:16. > :32:19.shirts away down at that end of the stadium. The assistant referee

:32:20. > :32:31.checks the nets. Lots of yellow Brazilian shirts in here. That first

:32:32. > :32:36.half was as dull as dish water! It started quite bright. I do think

:32:37. > :32:43.Russia should have had a penalty as they kick-off the second half.

:32:44. > :32:48.MARTIN KEOWN: Surely now things will get better. There's some good

:32:49. > :32:52.quality out there. If you get a moment, I would like to ask you your

:32:53. > :32:59.thoughts on Roy Hodgson's press conference and the words of Steven

:33:00. > :33:03.Gerrard. In the meantime, it's Russia in possession with the

:33:04. > :33:13.31-year-old Berezutskiy high to the edge of the box. A foul by

:33:14. > :33:22.Kanunnikov. He has certainly been livelier than Yury Zhirkov. He has

:33:23. > :33:25.very good pace. He's causing a bit of a disturbance, letting the

:33:26. > :33:49.full-back know that he is there. It is a definite foul.

:33:50. > :33:54.Lukaku showing more movement there. What do you think of the criticism

:33:55. > :33:58.from the studio of him? Lukaku, yeah, he looks like he is half

:33:59. > :34:03.asleep at times! Surely, he is going to wake up into this match. He has

:34:04. > :34:06.the necessary tools to be an outstanding player, but he has to

:34:07. > :34:10.have desire and intelligence of movement. He is only 21. We must not

:34:11. > :34:23.forget that. He is a baby! Looks like Hazard has gone into a

:34:24. > :34:41.more central position. Lukaku turns there, Martin, and

:34:42. > :34:47.looks behind him as if to say, "Where was the support in the box?"

:34:48. > :34:50.Shouldn't he be making a more decisive movement towards it?

:34:51. > :34:57.Mertens has the Russian full-back on toast! He is going to go in early so

:34:58. > :35:02.expect it. Belgium are unbeaten in seven World Cup group matches. The

:35:03. > :35:05.first time they have been in the Finals since that Marc Wilmots

:35:06. > :35:17.winner against Russia 12 years ago. He was a very good player in his

:35:18. > :35:20.time. He believes in close communication, fine man management

:35:21. > :35:26.with his players. He phones them up when they are not with the squad.

:35:27. > :35:39.Meanwhile, it is Kanunnikov. Surprised Wilmots has not said at

:35:40. > :36:00.half-time let's close down much higher up the pitch.

:36:01. > :36:07.He's left Witsel on the ground. Marc Wilmots said Belgium always try to

:36:08. > :36:11.win. If they come up against a wall, they will have to learn to be

:36:12. > :36:20.patient. Belgium have to shut down space. Kanunnikov has taken Witsel

:36:21. > :36:23.out. He is a very important player. The referee not allowing, at the

:36:24. > :36:35.moment, Martin, any treatment for the player who is down. He is how --

:36:36. > :36:41.holding his shoulder. He's allowed them to come on now. Why was he

:36:42. > :36:46.waiting? Players go down so often these days, you can understand why

:36:47. > :36:51.referees have to make certain that he requires treatment. If there was

:36:52. > :37:00.ever a player who wouldn't go down easily, it is Axel Witsel. Exactly.

:37:01. > :37:04.There's the coach, Wilmots. He will be pondering whether he needs to

:37:05. > :37:08.make any changes to the personnel. He's changed the tactics slightly.

:37:09. > :37:13.Eden Hazard is playing more centrally, closer to the front man,

:37:14. > :37:19.Lukaku. He needs people in and around him. He is on his feet, which

:37:20. > :37:28.is good news. The crowd is 73,819. That is the official crowd that's

:37:29. > :37:33.been given us. Lots of VIP seating. You will see the seats empty at the

:37:34. > :37:36.start of the second half on the far side. Probably been in for some

:37:37. > :37:56.corporate entertainment. The flag against Lukaku. Lukaku did

:37:57. > :38:04.score a hat-trick against Luxembourg in May, but that game was deleted

:38:05. > :38:15.from the records because Belgium played too many substitutes.

:38:16. > :38:39.It is all a little bit slow again. Nobody coming towards him. Everybody

:38:40. > :38:47.looking for the long ball. Belgium surely have to make a change.

:38:48. > :38:52.Shatov is on the right-hand touchline. Kokorin is in the penalty

:38:53. > :39:09.area. Samedov. The right-footed player, Oleg

:39:10. > :39:18.Shatov. Plays at St Petersburg, denied the title this year by a

:39:19. > :39:29.point. Kokorin. Faizulin was on the edge of the penalty area. Then it

:39:30. > :39:35.comes out to Kombarov. Russia have had four corners in the

:39:36. > :39:50.game, Belgium just the two. A firm header away by Van Buyten,

:39:51. > :40:07.using all his height, 6ft 5in. Kanunnikov is coming into the

:40:08. > :40:29.penalty spot region. Kozlov. Back to the right back. A

:40:30. > :40:39.high, hanging cross, missed by all. Drops to Glushakov. Was he going for

:40:40. > :40:48.goal? He must have been. Sticks one out far stick. Just looking at his

:40:49. > :40:52.technique here - he does go for a shot. He should be trying to cross

:40:53. > :40:57.that. I think he changed his mind halfway through and then went to

:40:58. > :41:06.spin it with the outside of his foot at goal and scuffs it wide.

:41:07. > :41:16.No great movement from Lukaku again. That's a foul by Witsel.

:41:17. > :41:42.I think that was more of an accident than cynical.

:41:43. > :41:48.That's overambitious from Berezutskiy at the back. We have

:41:49. > :41:53.seen the referees in this tournament be very quick to punish a player who

:41:54. > :41:57.brings down another and stops a potential breakaway, even though you

:41:58. > :42:02.might be ten yards inside the opposition half. Yes. Wilmots now

:42:03. > :42:06.will be looking at his team and wondering which player out there is

:42:07. > :42:08.the one that is the leader in the pack. Lots of good players, but who

:42:09. > :42:22.is in charge on the pitch? Witsel is there with him. He dare

:42:23. > :42:30.not make a challenge having just been cautioned. If you go by the

:42:31. > :42:34.summer sales of last year, their squad had the third highest market

:42:35. > :42:46.value behind Brazil's and Portugal's. This is a strong run by

:42:47. > :42:51.Kombarov. It was a poor final ball. Kombarov did really well there. It

:42:52. > :42:57.was just that final pass. He almost surprised himself to be in that

:42:58. > :43:05.area. Just a long ball again from the goalkeeper. Was very surprised

:43:06. > :43:34.Belgium haven't been passing out from the back. The Belgian Foreign

:43:35. > :43:41.Minister is here. They are going to bring on a sub.

:43:42. > :43:48.He has pace, he is only 19, and he is going to replace Lukaku, who has

:43:49. > :43:51.had an unhappy tournament, let's be honest.

:43:52. > :44:04.He came on against Algeria for half an hour, did Divock Origi. This is

:44:05. > :44:11.only his fourth international. He played very well in the European

:44:12. > :44:15.Under 19 Championships. He scored against Northern Ireland, I seem to

:44:16. > :44:20.remember. I think he will be more direct and his movement will be

:44:21. > :44:24.hungrier. Lukaku was a major disappointment. He is an angry man.

:44:25. > :44:32.He didn't show that anger on the pitch.

:44:33. > :44:58.You can't say their manager is not decisive. If he sees something, he

:44:59. > :45:02.makes the change. He has the personnel at his disposal. It is an

:45:03. > :45:06.area they are thin on the ground with, front players. It doesn't

:45:07. > :45:54.matter. If you don't play well, you are coming off.

:45:55. > :46:01.It was taken away By his own team-mate. Could break. This is a

:46:02. > :46:03.direct run now. Opens up the space and finds Hazard

:46:04. > :46:17.now. De Bruyne, Hazard. He goes down. Out comes the keeper.

:46:18. > :46:25.And the referee is none plussed. Origi got back into the path of

:46:26. > :46:31.Hazard. This is Hazard who knocks it in.

:46:32. > :47:04.No foul for me. Lucky there, Hazard. Someone down with cramp already.

:47:05. > :47:08.He's just trying to get it back. Hazard looking for the foul, but it

:47:09. > :47:10.wasn't. Got to get Hazard in the game much more if Belgium are going

:47:11. > :48:18.to win this. Hazard has seen more of the ball.

:48:19. > :48:23.Looks for Origi. Looks for the pass intelligently.

:48:24. > :48:51.De Bruyne. Alderweireld. Kompany this time. Hazard. In a bit

:48:52. > :49:12.of space. The shot is blocked there. Away by Kombarov.

:49:13. > :49:24.There's going to be a change. The full back is going to go off and be

:49:25. > :50:00.replaced by the man he replaced today.

:50:01. > :50:08.Eshchenko's parents perished in a fire when he was nine years old. He

:50:09. > :50:18.was in a children's home. Ignashevich. Van Buyten. This is

:50:19. > :50:23.dreadfully dreary for a World Cup. Belgium have to up the tempo of

:50:24. > :50:25.their game and stop the Russians mounting any attacks. I think the

:50:26. > :51:04.Russians are very well organised. So deep now in their own half.

:51:05. > :51:15.Kombarov. Kompany got a glance of it.

:51:16. > :51:26.Samedov. Gone down the line. It was blocked.

:51:27. > :51:51.No official word yet on why Vermaelen went off.

:51:52. > :52:01.An ice pack for the Russian full back. It was on his shin so it might

:52:02. > :52:19.be a contact injury. 64 minutes gone. Semenov.

:52:20. > :53:33.There is no cohesion in the midfield. There's no five-yard pass.

:53:34. > :53:37.Vertonghen's going out, Kompany is having to run with it. Giving it

:53:38. > :53:42.away, look, very few options in the ball. It's OK Fellaini pushing on,

:53:43. > :54:49.but they need to secure possession and then break forward.

:54:50. > :54:55.The crowd are booing. That's what most of the neutrals think about it.

:54:56. > :55:09.The vast majority of supporters in the ground are Brazilian. De Bruyne.

:55:10. > :55:36.Inside the full back. . Mertens couldn't keep it in play.

:55:37. > :55:46.Hardly seen Mertens in the second half.

:55:47. > :56:14.Michel Platini made his thoughts very clear on Sepp Blatter. I don't

:56:15. > :56:18.know whether you have seen the remarks on social media. Sepp

:56:19. > :56:22.Blatter is not that popular here, you don't see pictures of him around

:56:23. > :56:33.the stadiums. Keeping a low profile, isn't he...

:56:34. > :56:36.The little protests are still going on around the stadia about social

:56:37. > :56:54.inequality here. Belgium just don't seem to be

:56:55. > :56:58.playing as a team. It's about being collective. As an individual you can

:56:59. > :57:05.go so far and you need your teams to play as a unit. I don't like being

:57:06. > :57:11.critical, but we are looking for perfection. We thought this team was

:57:12. > :57:19.going to do exceptionally well. Might still do well...

:57:20. > :57:28.It's the urgency as well. They need to up the tempo. There doesn't seem

:57:29. > :57:35.to be a flawless side in this tournament so far. Couldn't get away

:57:36. > :57:46.from the challenge. This is better from Russia.

:57:47. > :57:57.Shatov push out by van Buyten. Good defending. Great play from Russia.

:57:58. > :58:01.The third man running there. Literally finds the pass and Shatov

:58:02. > :58:04.just not enough pace at the end of it. 25 minutes gone in the second

:58:05. > :58:26.half and the Russians are coming! Kompany again. The vital header.

:58:27. > :59:11.Brilliant. He's got the arm up high. Samedov

:59:12. > :59:39.again has already taken one whack on the head. There's another one.

:59:40. > :59:44.Samedov prepares to take the free kick. Ignashevich from the back.

:59:45. > :00:08.Berezutskiy makes his run. Looking here just to clip it, just

:00:09. > :00:15.to brush his head. Too much on it. Experienced player, his third

:00:16. > :00:20.tournament, Euro 8, Euro 12 and the European Championship 2004, he

:00:21. > :00:27.missed that with a knee injury on the eve of those games in Portugal.

:00:28. > :00:31.Thought he was fouled and he's left a foot in there, had a bit of a dig

:00:32. > :00:43.and the referee understands that and has the pull out the yellow card.

:00:44. > :00:55.MARTIN KEOWN: Just a wild swing there.

:00:56. > :01:11.JONATHAN PEARCE: The fans are doing their best. They are trying to

:01:12. > :01:16.generate some noise in the stadium. Russia are growing in confidence. It

:01:17. > :01:25.is about when you get that kind of space - some great movement again. A

:01:26. > :01:29.lack of technique once more. Fabio Capello has praised their will

:01:30. > :01:35.power. They say they can play at the top level. They have already avoided

:01:36. > :01:46.defeat in the opening game for the first time since '86. Kevin Mirallas

:01:47. > :01:50.is going to replace Dries Mertens, the best Belgium player in the first

:01:51. > :01:54.half. We have seen nothing of him in the second half at all. On comes

:01:55. > :01:59.Kevin Mirallas. Just like-for-like again. He needs

:02:00. > :02:12.to change the tactics. It is Russia pushing forward. That's

:02:13. > :02:38.a terrible pass. We came wanting to see a standard of

:02:39. > :02:43.football expected of in the Maracana. The big local derbies are

:02:44. > :03:12.played here. Van Buyten could have gone across

:03:13. > :03:51.him. He's forced the corner. No free-kick. Throw-in given the way

:03:52. > :03:57.of Russia. Marc Wilmots is unhappy. This is a difficult period for

:03:58. > :04:12.Belgium. The favourites for this game and the group are struggling.

:04:13. > :04:37.Kokorin has given it away. There's Origi's pace. He's not seen enough

:04:38. > :04:39.of the ball. No, he hasn't. You see the way Russia, though - they will

:04:40. > :05:01.press high and win it back early. Fellaini, the positions that he's

:05:02. > :05:04.taking up, he's doing no better today than he has for Manchester

:05:05. > :05:09.United. He has to be involved in the build-up. It is a long ball. I have

:05:10. > :05:15.never seen the goalkeeper in a World Cup kick the ball out so much.

:05:16. > :05:24.Fellaini has joined Origi. The tricks and it comes in to Origi. He

:05:25. > :05:38.tried the shot on the half turn. That is better. It's that turnover

:05:39. > :05:39.period that Belgium are struggling with. They don't work hard enough

:05:40. > :05:51.when they lose the ball. Hazard wanted it played into him

:05:52. > :05:58.first of all, didn't get it, a big, expansive gesture. Witsel to

:05:59. > :06:08.Vertonghen. Kevin Mirallas had a good season for

:06:09. > :06:21.Everton. This could be promising. Origi

:06:22. > :06:29.strayed offside. That is his naivety. Yeah, just gone offside.

:06:30. > :06:33.The ball into Fellaini seems to be their weapon. Nice diagonal ball.

:06:34. > :07:27.Yeah, good spot from the linesman. Wilmots and Mirallas have had words

:07:28. > :07:34.over the past few months. Kevin Mirallas spoke out about the

:07:35. > :07:36.elevation of Adnan Januzaj to international status. He was told to

:07:37. > :08:01.butt out by his manager. The substitute in space. He ends up

:08:02. > :08:09.in acres of space. There is no real movement. It is not a bad run. He

:08:10. > :08:18.should be hitting the target. Alarm bells were ringing in that Belgian

:08:19. > :08:38.defence. I thought he might have took it on a bit before he hit it.

:08:39. > :08:57.That's hopeless! He should be rolling that into the feet of

:08:58. > :09:09.Kokorin. He's played that to the invisible man!

:09:10. > :09:21.The CSKA Moscow player who was so good at Euro 2012. He hasn't settled

:09:22. > :09:30.into Capello's method of thinking or his formations. He is a good player.

:09:31. > :09:34.Looking forward to seeing him play. He might be the man who unlocks the

:09:35. > :09:58.door for Russia. Handball! It's a free-kick for

:09:59. > :10:08.Belgium. Rashly given away. A bit clumsy, a bit tired. Good spot by

:10:09. > :10:23.the ref. He's had a good game. Apart from the penalty! His command of the

:10:24. > :10:40.game has been very authoritative. Here comes Dzagoev. Shatov

:10:41. > :10:46.disappears. And on comes Dzagoev. Hazard will want to take this. No,

:10:47. > :10:52.he's moved away to the edge of the penalty area.

:10:53. > :11:01.He hit the post! Mirallas - that is the first thing he's done. Hazard.

:11:02. > :11:03.He thought he was blocked. Origi seemed to be bundled over in the box

:11:04. > :11:13.off the ball. Good strike by Mirallas. He's only

:11:14. > :11:18.been on the pitch a matter of minutes and he was nearly the hero

:11:19. > :11:25.there. He just whips it across the wall. He is unlucky. This could be

:11:26. > :11:31.the start of better things for Belgium. They have to get on with

:11:32. > :11:33.it. Hazard, into the box. Tried to find Origi. He should have gone on

:11:34. > :11:44.his own. Vertonghen up to Fellaini for the

:11:45. > :12:02.head down, but Ignashevich won it. Origi comes to challenge and gets

:12:03. > :12:13.there in front of Ignashevich. Good control as well by the youngster.

:12:14. > :12:18.He's got his way through. He only just wanted to hang on a bit too

:12:19. > :12:25.long. He did well initially. He made that his own bowl. -- own ball. A

:12:26. > :12:35.bit of inspiration, that is what you are looking for.

:12:36. > :12:46.Just over five to go, passing that mark now.

:12:47. > :12:54.We were in a game yesterday when Argentina left it so late to beat

:12:55. > :13:03.Iran. Will we have another late goal here now? Mirallas, Hazard is there

:13:04. > :13:07.with a spin. He shoots! Denied by the deflection. Fellaini says there

:13:08. > :13:17.was an arm. Brilliant from Hazard there. Mirallas poking it to him.

:13:18. > :13:22.Great turn, pivots, swivels, good defending. He's come alive. Will it

:13:23. > :13:24.be just in time? Fellaini is in there. Van Buyten up from the back.

:13:25. > :13:43.Fellaini! That's offside. Russia got out quickly in the

:13:44. > :13:47.middle. Fellaini is certainly a target man. They love those flicked

:13:48. > :13:52.balls into him. Very difficult to play against. This is the free-kick.

:13:53. > :13:59.Look at the whip he gets on this. He finds the gap. The keeper is slow

:14:00. > :14:03.getting across. He takes a step to the left, the keeper. He gets away

:14:04. > :14:40.with it. Two Russians are down and there's no

:14:41. > :14:47.urgency to get back. Origi. Hazard beyond his man. Strong finish by

:14:48. > :14:53.Belgium. Origi! 1-0! The kid has done it!

:14:54. > :15:04.It's another Belgium substitute with another important goal. Absolutely

:15:05. > :15:11.brilliant from Eden Hazard. That is what he is about. Big celebration,

:15:12. > :15:47.but he can thank Hazard. Great run. He drifts past defenders.

:15:48. > :15:57.Showed great awareness as well get into that position. Smacking it

:15:58. > :16:03.home. Ready, waiting to pull that trigger. This man's made some

:16:04. > :16:09.inspiring substitutions in these World Cup finals.

:16:10. > :16:14.Just got to find his best 11. It's not easy with the array of talent he

:16:15. > :16:21.has at his disposele. -- disposal.

:16:22. > :16:41.Now Russia are going to make another change. They are going to bring on

:16:42. > :17:04.Kerzhakov. Samedov will go off. The Red Devils.

:17:05. > :17:12.Here is Origi to take on a tiring Berezutskiy. The jauntiness of

:17:13. > :17:16.youth! A corner kick given. And I'll tell

:17:17. > :17:22.you what, he can barely believe it. You could see that with Origi that

:17:23. > :17:25.he knew it wasn't a corner. Barely a protest from Russia, just an

:17:26. > :17:45.exhausted and resigned look towards the referee from one or two of them.

:17:46. > :18:17.Into the last three minutes of added time. Away by Ignashevich.

:18:18. > :18:23.His last finals finals. Free kick for Russia.

:18:24. > :18:28.Not a fantastic performance, certainly a lot of work to be done.

:18:29. > :18:44.Can Russia turn this round? Trying to get the ball to the edge

:18:45. > :19:05.of the penalty area. Mirallas. De Bruyne has shown a bit of promise

:19:06. > :19:07.at times and has been missing at other moments.

:19:08. > :19:25.Kerzhakov. Kompany steers it away. Now Belgium

:19:26. > :19:30.can break. Origi. To his left. Hazard beaten now.

:19:31. > :19:37.Mirallas tries to place it. Hazard again, beautiful the way he weaves

:19:38. > :19:40.through the defence. Puts it into Mirallas's path. Can't

:19:41. > :19:57.get enough power on it. Handball Fellaini. Free kick.

:19:58. > :20:05.Last minute of stoppage time. Belgium less than 0 seconds away

:20:06. > :20:16.from the second round phase -- 60 seconds.

:20:17. > :20:49.In the ground there are painted supporters celebrating. And there'll

:20:50. > :20:57.be celebrations at the Copacabana tonight.

:20:58. > :21:09.Belgium are through. They've left it very, very late.

:21:10. > :21:15.Marc Wilmots deserves good praise for making a couple of great key

:21:16. > :21:21.changes. Origi, the 19-year-old, got the winner. Bashed home two minutes

:21:22. > :21:30.from time. That leaves Fabio Capello's side on the brink. Belgium

:21:31. > :21:37.are celebrating because they are through, winning here by 1-.

:21:38. > :21:41.If you wait long enough, you've always got a chance of seeing some

:21:42. > :21:45.excitement. Belgium have secured their place in the last 16 with a

:21:46. > :21:51.game to spare. Russia must now beat Algeria in their final game and hope

:21:52. > :22:04.other results go their way. It was a long wait.

:22:05. > :22:10.They were slightly fortunate, Belgium. Having said that, the sign

:22:11. > :22:14.of a decent team is if you don't play well and get the result you

:22:15. > :22:17.want. I'm sure they can play better. The manager deserves a lot of credit

:22:18. > :22:22.again. Not only did he substitute well in the first game, it's now won

:22:23. > :22:26.him the second game also. Clarence, it just shows you the importance of

:22:27. > :22:31.the first goal in a game, because once one goes in, everything is

:22:32. > :22:35.different? Everything is different. It's such a different mindset you

:22:36. > :22:44.get out of both teams. One needs to react, the other sets himself free.

:22:45. > :22:49.Hazard really came into the game and at the end, we got a goal, got what

:22:50. > :22:54.we deserved. Got what we wanted, we got a goal. Something to talk about.

:22:55. > :23:02.Hazard changed the game. We all agree on that. But the thing that

:23:03. > :23:06.I'm being surprised with, I've seen a lot of players since the beginning

:23:07. > :23:11.of the competition and it's early doors, having a problem with cramps,

:23:12. > :23:18.tiredness. I know obviously it's not an easy one, but I think that had an

:23:19. > :23:22.effect on the game because Hazard looked tired and he took advantage

:23:23. > :23:26.of that at the end of the game. The happy Belgians here through to the

:23:27. > :23:31.next round. Two out of two, Gary. Yes, quite a reaction. Got through,

:23:32. > :23:34.Origi's goal it was, of course. We didn't see too much brilliant

:23:35. > :23:40.football during a lot of the game but the actual goal itself was a

:23:41. > :23:45.good bit of play? Yes. I thought Hazard did brilliantly out on the

:23:46. > :23:49.left hand side. He did a movement or lack of movement if you will,

:23:50. > :23:55.whatever you want to call it. But Origi plays it out to Hazard and he

:23:56. > :23:58.wants to get in the box. We mentioned at half time about not

:23:59. > :24:02.going in there, just stopping, giving the defender a problem,

:24:03. > :24:07.something to think about, whether he goes in, stops, starts, holds out to

:24:08. > :24:13.try and get his space. He held out for his space and Hazard was able to

:24:14. > :24:17.find him. So he goes in, the defender is still on his way in,

:24:18. > :24:22.he's not clever enough to spot that, he stands still. Did it brilliantly,

:24:23. > :24:34.to be fair. 19-year-old kid gets the space. You raised that, didn't you,

:24:35. > :24:39.Thierry? Yes, that's what he did. You have a player like Hazard going

:24:40. > :24:47.by the line, you give him an option. It didn't look like a great movement

:24:48. > :24:52.or big movement, but if you stop, the defenders are always going to

:24:53. > :25:07.cover that First Post. So you're always going to do that. That's way

:25:08. > :25:15.less obvious, that, because there's way less time for Mertens to cross.

:25:16. > :25:19.But for me, if he stops now, pulls out, just a tiny bit before, when

:25:20. > :25:28.he's looking there, he's still looking, you are not stopping. Yes,

:25:29. > :25:31.behind. Goes this and... It's a tough place to learn your trade

:25:32. > :25:38.coming into the World Cup and we have two young kids upfront, Lukaku

:25:39. > :25:42.21 and Origi 19 years old. Lukaku's defence, we have been there where

:25:43. > :25:46.he's doing the running an tiring the defenders out, then another guy

:25:47. > :25:50.comes on, he'll get all the glory now, it's a tough place to learn.

:25:51. > :25:51.That is a great point, but I will always go back and at the end

:25:52. > :25:54.That is a great point, but I will always go back and at of the day

:25:55. > :26:01.support the team and Belgium as one. You did your part, the other guy

:26:02. > :26:05.gets the glory, but they are through for the next round. It was livelier

:26:06. > :26:12.after the free kick that hit the post? Yes, at the end. The keeper

:26:13. > :26:17.here decided to put the ball in that position. The strange thing is that

:26:18. > :26:24.he's practically behind the wall. There was a moment when the player

:26:25. > :26:30.goes for the shot. He practically runs behind the wall. It's strange.

:26:31. > :26:38.Not only would you see a keeper that puts the wall so much on one side

:26:39. > :26:45.that he'll... Before he even shoots. Never seen a free kick so close. The

:26:46. > :26:53.way he positioned the wall was weird for me. On the other side, he's

:26:54. > :26:58.covering where he shouldn't be. Hazard again. Came alive the last

:26:59. > :27:01.ten minutes where everyone seemed to be tiring, and he was the

:27:02. > :27:09.difference. He was the one knocking on the door

:27:10. > :27:14.for the goal to come. From somewhere he's picked up confidence during the

:27:15. > :27:20.game and used it to great effect. On the counterattack, Russia are

:27:21. > :27:27.pushing forward. Exactly. Superb. Eventually comes out to Mirallas on

:27:28. > :27:29.the right hand side here. Bang. The space has started to open up the

:27:30. > :27:42.last five or ten minutes. That's what I said about bringing

:27:43. > :27:46.substitutes on in the last 15 or 20 minutes, that's how the game begins

:27:47. > :27:49.to open up. Guys are tired, make mistakes, chances come. Russia might

:27:50. > :27:54.point to a possible penalty they should have had in the first half.

:27:55. > :28:04.They didn't have too many chances in the first game. It wasn't a bad or

:28:05. > :28:09.vicious challenge, but you're late and... I agree with Thierry. He get

:28:10. > :28:18.his foot there before the defender. He kicks him. Got away with that

:28:19. > :28:23.one. Aside of that, 90 minutes play, two reasonable chances I think there

:28:24. > :28:32.was for the Russians. Yes. The header. He sort of flicks it.

:28:33. > :28:41.Instead of putting the full forehead on it, it's like a little flick.

:28:42. > :28:49.Maybe you would have buried that straightaway. You would have as

:28:50. > :29:00.well. Maybe. You don't take your chances, then you suffer. There are

:29:01. > :29:05.a couple of players who if they picked the right man, there would

:29:06. > :29:10.have been better chances. You don't make the right decision, 1-0. What

:29:11. > :29:15.did you think of the reaction of Lukaku when he got sent off? He

:29:16. > :29:23.clearly had the hump? I don't mind that, I really don't mind that. I

:29:24. > :29:27.just hope that he was unhappy with his performance, you know. When I

:29:28. > :29:31.used to play badly, I'm sure it's the same with you guys, it.Ed to

:29:32. > :29:34.kill everybody, not because I didn't like you or you, because I was upset

:29:35. > :29:38.with myself so therefore I was upset with the world a bit for five

:29:39. > :29:42.minutes but I just thought that he was just upset with himself. I don't

:29:43. > :29:46.mind that at all, I think it's a reaction that he hasn't played well

:29:47. > :29:49.and he's disappointed. England are preparing to bow out of the

:29:50. > :29:51.competition against Costa Rica on Tuesday. Roy Hodgson has been

:29:52. > :30:03.talking to Gabby in the last hour. Was the aftermath immediately after

:30:04. > :30:13.the defeat the lowest point in your managerial career? Yes, it was.

:30:14. > :30:17.I've had some, of course. You can't work as long as I have without low

:30:18. > :30:24.points, but I must say that was the lowst. -- lowest. Did you ever feel

:30:25. > :30:28.like throwing in the towel before Greg Dyke made his decision?

:30:29. > :30:41.No. I didn't want to be the one to turn around and say, it's hurting

:30:42. > :30:46.me. I'll take the easy way out. This is a four-year plan, this wasn't on

:30:47. > :30:50.your plan for the midway point? No. What was? What was the ideal

:30:51. > :30:54.scenario from this World Cup in your plan? The ideal scenario would have

:30:55. > :30:59.been to have gone much further than we have gone, to have seen some of

:31:00. > :31:02.the young players do what they have done during this tournament, in

:31:03. > :31:08.training and in the games, to give us a lot of hope. The major

:31:09. > :31:13.calamity, or the major blow for us is the fact that we feel that we

:31:14. > :31:16.were so close, these young players were so close to reaching that and

:31:17. > :31:20.getting that confidence. Now, they, like the rest of us, the more

:31:21. > :31:24.experienced ones, have got to suffer the fact that we have failed. What

:31:25. > :31:27.decision are you most disappointed about that you have made with regard

:31:28. > :31:35.to what's happened on the field of play? That's a good question. I

:31:36. > :31:40.mean, I don't regret anything in terms of our preparation and the way

:31:41. > :31:44.we have gone about our business. The support from everybody, the backroom

:31:45. > :31:49.staff, the coaching staff, the way the players have gone about their

:31:50. > :31:52.business, I can't fault any of that. It is nothing major. It would be in

:31:53. > :31:55.terms of personnel, perhaps, maybe this player could have done a

:31:56. > :31:59.different job to that player. I think the way we have approached the

:32:00. > :32:04.games, I don't know that there's so much there that I would necessarily

:32:05. > :32:09.have changed because in both the games, we have had chances of

:32:10. > :32:14.winning the games. Is he right to stay in the job? I do. There's a

:32:15. > :32:19.plan there. He should stick to it. There is a lot of young players. It

:32:20. > :32:23.is his job to bring those young players through. It might be the end

:32:24. > :32:32.for one or two experienced players - Gerrard, Lampard. It is now time for

:32:33. > :32:35.Stones, Barkley, Shaw, he has to develop those players and turn us

:32:36. > :32:39.into a force. He should keep his job. We are nearly out of time.

:32:40. > :32:45.Clarence and Thierry, you are out of time with us! We have enjoyed having

:32:46. > :32:57.you. You are off back to Europe? Yes. Thierry, you are in action on

:32:58. > :33:03.Friday? Against Jermain Defoe. At home. A strange one playing the MLS

:33:04. > :33:09.in the middle of the World Cup! Tell me about it! It's weird. I am sure

:33:10. > :33:15.we will be looking at the TV, what's the score, and we have a game. It is

:33:16. > :33:20.what it is. It has been great having you both. Thank you. We will be back

:33:21. > :33:23.later with Ronaldo. We have seen a game, eventually.

:33:24. > :33:32.COMMENTARY: Belgium's young whizz kid forwards against Russia's aging

:33:33. > :34:14.defenders. What's up?

:34:15. > :34:16.Oi, oi!