Belgium vs England match in numbers | The Daily Star
11:17 AM, July 14, 2018 / LAST MODIFIED: 11:21 AM, July 14, 2018

Belgium vs England match in numbers

England and Belgium’s World Cup dreams may have been ended but what a tournament this has been for Gareth Southgate’s young Lions and for the ‘golden generation’ of the Red Devils. However, both the teams Russian odyssey end with the game that no one wants to play in. The third place play-off between Belgium and England will be the second time they have played each other in this tournament. The match is scheduled to start at 8:00 pm in Bangladesh time. Here, we look at some of the statistics ahead of the contest.

 

Head-to-head

1) This is their second meeting at this World Cup following a 1-0 win for Belgium in the group stage.

2) Before that game, England had lost just one of their previous 21 matches against Belgium (W15, D5).

3) They are the first teams to play each other twice at the same World Cup since Turkey played Brazil two times in 2002.

 

Belgium

1) Belgium have played in this fixture once before, and lost 4-2 after extra time against France in 1986.

2) They hold the record for most the knockout games at a World Cup without keeping a single clean sheet (14). No other side has played more seven knockout matches without at least one shut-out.

3) The Red Devils haven't lost consecutive World Cup matches against European teams since 1990 when they were beaten by Spain and England.

4) They have lost just two of their 26 matches under Roberto Martinez - his first in charge in September 2016 against Spain and his most recent versus France in the semi-final).

5) Belgium have scored more goals, 14, than any other side at this World Cup.

6) They have not suffered back-to-back defeats in competitive games since losing European Championship qualifiers to Germany and Turkey in September 2010.

7) Striker Romelu Lukaku has scored 23 goals in his 23 appearances under Roberto Martinez for Belgium, though he's not scored in any of his last three. He's never gone four games without a goal for the national side since the Spaniard has been in charge.

8) They are the only side to beat a team from all five Fifa Confederations at this World Cup.

 

England

1) England's only other match in a World Cup third-place play-off match was at the 1990 World Cup - they faced Italy and lost 2-1.

2) They have already scored 12 goals, more than they have at any other World Cup finals.

3) England have now been eliminated in four of their five semi-finals at major tournaments, losing each of the last four in a row (Euro 1968 v Yugoslavia, World Cup 1990 v West Germany, Euro 1996 v Germany and World Cup 2018 v Croatia).

4) They are trying to win four matches at a World Cup for only the second time - they won five in 1966.

5) England have had six different goalscorers at this tournament (excluding own goals) - their most at a World Cup - surpassing the five they had at 1954, 1998 & 2002.

6) Only Germany and Italy (both 11) have been involved in more extra-time matches at a World Cup than England's 10.

7) England had 15 shots on target in their first two 2018 World Cup matches against Tunisia (eight) and Panama (seven) but have had just eight in their four games since - exactly two in each match.

8) No Englishman has scored more World Cup goals in a single tournament than the six Harry Kane has scored in 2018. Gary Lineker also netted six in 1986, winning the Golden Boot in the process.

9) But Kane has had just one shot on target in his last three World Cup matches - his penalty against Colombia in the last 16.

10) They have scored nine goals from set pieces at the 2018 World Cup - the most by a team in a single World Cup tournament since 1966.


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