Belgium won the Round of 16 match against Portugal by a stunning goal by Thorgan Hazard. He fired the ball into the net from well outside the box, and Belgium successfully held onto their lead as Portugal threw everything to score the equaliser.
However, Belgium’s win came at a cost as Kevin De Bruyne was substituted soon after the second half began, while Eden Hazard seemed in discomfort towards the end of the game and had to be substituted as well. The loss of De Bruyne and Hazard can be a big blow for Belgium as they prepare to face Italy in the quarter-finals.
Eden’s brother Thorgan said: “In my opinion, he was the man of the match.”
“He defended, he protected the ball, he turned the opponents inside out…”
The stats also support Martinez’s decision to start Eden Hazard instead of Carrasco. Hazard was the player who completed the most dribbles (4), suffered the most fouls (4) and won the most duels (10).
However, Eden Hazard’s injury doesn’t look good. Thorgan Hazard and Thibaut Courtois both said: “It doesn’t look good.”
Eden Hazard said about his injury: “I don’t know what I have, we will see in the tests.”
“It hurts a little, I felt a little something in my hamstring and we have to analyse it.
“I cannot say that the European Championship has ended for me. In any case, I would stay to support the team.”
Belgium manager Martinez said about Hazard: “We have seen a very strong player with a great mentality.”
“Eden is very important to the national team and, little by little, I am sure that he will have great moments at Real Madrid.”
