Belgium ousted current European champions Portugal from Euro 2020 with a dramatic victory on Sunday in Seville, setting a dream quarter-final with Italy.
Hazard scored the only and triumphant goal for Belgium at the Estadio de La Cartuja, to send Roberto Martinez’s team to the quarterfinals.
Belgium and Italy will face on July 2 in Munich, in the second quarterfinal of this European.
Portugal failed in their efforts to defend the European trophy, won in 2016 and this means that we will have a new European champion on July 11th.
In an almost equal first half, a shot from distance by Eden Hazard’s younger brother, Thorgan, made the difference and turned out to be the determinant of the winner of the 1/8 finals meeting.
The Borussia Dortmund midfielder defeated Riu Patricio with a rocket kick from about 25 meters away.
The game of the Belgian red devils fell sharply when Kevin de Bruyne got injured at the beginning of the second half and was forced to leave the field.
From that moment on, the Portuguese led by Cristiano Ronaldo – who was looking for the goal to break the record for most international goals, after in the last match he equalized the Iranian Daei with 109 international goals – took control of the game and created a host of cases.
Portugal were able to equalize on two occasions 10 minutes before the end, but Dias’s powerful header was stopped by Thigabut Courtois, before Guerrero hit the post a few moments later.
Belgium failed to end Portugal with cases created by the unstoppable Romelu Lukaku but five extra minutes were not enough for the Portuguese to avoid early elimination.
Belgium held on until the last moments and will face Italy in the quarterfinals on July 2 in Munich.