Belgium left it to the final minutes of the game to beat Fabio Capello’s Russia. Following a drab match with few clear-cut chances a moment of genius from Chelsea’s wizard Eden Hazard as he carved through Russia’s defence and fed Divock Origi who was on hand to secure his country’s place in the last 16.

Here are three things we have learned from today’s dull encounter:

Marc Wilmots needs to decide on Belgium’s strongest eleven:

For the second consecutive game Belgium have been reliant on a substitute to rescue their situation and deliver the vital three points. In their opening fixture of the World Cup against Algeria, Marouane Fellaini provided the Red devils a lifeline as he equalised with twenty minutes remaining. Yet again today Wilmots and Belgium did not manage to score until the introduction of a substitute, this time in the form of Divock Origi who fired the ball into the roof of Akinfeev’s net and booked Belgium’s place in the last 16.

However Belgium might not be fortunate the next time they begin to struggle against a side, and they simply can not depend on fresh legs to see them through. It is crucial that Wilmots identifies his best eleven, and establishes a strategy that suits all involved. Clearly he faces a difficult task to balance the talent that his squad is possessed with the likes of Eden Hazard, Dries Mertens, Kevin De Bruyne, Axel Witsel all included. If Belgium have a real desire to compete for the World Cup then they must be able to perform as a unit instead of relying on subs to impact the game, otherwise they will not achieve anything this tournament.

Russia lack attacking options:

Both Kanunnikov and Kozlov appeared to be rather ineffective today for Russia as Capello’s side struggled to craft any real opportunities. Neither managed to pose any threat on Belgium’s star-studded defence, however Kanunnikov could consider himself very unlucky as the Amkar Prem forward was denied a legitimate penalty. Replays show that Alderweireld caught Kanunnikov’s leg as he attempted to retrieve possession.

Ultimately Russia should have been awarded a penalty, however Russia need to be able to produce goals which are not a result of dead ball situations. What has to be considered is the inexperience of Kanunnikov (22) and Kozlov (21), it certainly is a risk to field young players who are not accustomed to the pressure of the World Cup and perhaps the experience of Zenit forward Aleksandr Kerzhakov would be better suited to such an occasion.

Eden Hazard must start in a central position:

During his time at Chelsea Eden Hazard has shown what a marvellous player he is, and has established himself as the blues’ most gifted talent. At Chelsea he constantly interchanges positions with Oscar and Willian, thus allowing him the space to operate freely in dangerous areas. Today Marc Wilmots decided to place Hazard on the wing denying him the ability to roam around the field.

It was if Hazard was non-existent in the first half as he had no impact whatsoever on the game. This was recognised and Hazard played the second half in a central position which was clearly needed. Hazard’s influence became visible as he was now apart of the game more, by being involved in more attacks, passing the ball more and ultimately providing the most important contribution of all… The pullback which gave Belgium the victory! The second half proved that it is vital that Hazard starts future games in that position in order to get the best of his abilities.

Do let me know your thoughts on the game.

@carbislli