Belgium beat England 2-0 in the World Cup third-place play-off on Saturday to secure their best ever finish at a World Cup and send Gareth Southgate's side home with a second straight loss.

A fourth-minute goal from Thomas Meunier and an 82nd minute Eden Hazard strike earned Belgium the victory and the third-place, which improves on their previous best performance of a fourth-place finish in 1986.

England were on top for most of the second half but with captain Harry Kane looking tired, Belgium's greater sharpness in the final third proved decisive.

Meunier's goal came after Romelu Lukaku swung the ball out left to Nacer Chadli who burst down the wing and slipped the ball across the face of the goal and the midfielder confidently slotted past Jordan Pickford.

France will face Croatia in Sunday's final at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow. </s> Belgium beat England 2-0 to finish third in World Cup

SAINT PETERSBURG: Belgium achieved their best World Cup finish as goals from Thomas Meunier and Eden Hazard secured a 2-0 victory over England in Saturday´s third-place playoff in Saint Petersburg.

Meunier, who missed the semi-final loss to France due to suspension, scored after just four minutes before Hazard grabbed a late second as Belgium eclipsed the side that came fourth at the 1986 edition.

Belgium have now defeated England twice in a fortnight, having waited 82 years to beat them before winning 1-0 in their group stage encounter. "It´s all about the achievement, this is Belgium´s best finish at a World Cup. The players deserve that and they wanted to make the country proud," Belgium coach Roberto Martinez said.

Gareth Southgate´s men were forced to settle for England´s joint best performance at a World Cup abroad, matching that of the 1990 generation. "The lads couldn’t have given any more. Belgium are obviously a good team. I can’t fault the lads, we gave everything," said England captain Harry Kane.

The Tottenham striker remains the overwhelming favourite to win the Golden Boot with six goals, although he admitted his frustration at failing to find the net in England´s final three games. "It shows we had a good group stage and scored a lot of goals. Obviously I’m disappointed I couldn’t get a goal in the last few games," he said. "If I win it, it’ll be something I’ll be very proud of."

Paris Saint-Germain defender Meunier made a quick impression by firing Belgium in front following an attack started by Romelu Lukaku.

The Manchester United forward released Nacer Chadli down the left into space behind the England defence, and his cross was turned home by Meunier who stepped in front of a static Rose.

Jordan Pickford readjusted his body superbly to deny Kevin De Bruyne a second time, the Everton goalkeeper clawing away the ball after a sizeable deflection off Kieran Trippier. </s> ST. PETERSBURG, Russia — Belgium and England both leave the World Cup happy to have reached the semifinals. Belgium may be a little happier, though.

The Belgians earned their highest World Cup finish by beating England 2-0 in the third-place match on Saturday. Thomas Meunier and Eden Hazard scored a goal each.

“These players didn’t want to rely on talent anymore, wanted to work as a team,” Belgium coach Roberto Martinez said. “Their standards have been magnificent. They wanted to make the country proud, every single Red Devils fan proud.”

France and Croatia will play in the final Sunday at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow. The French beat Belgium on Tuesday in the semifinals, while the Croats defeated England on Wednesday.

Meunier’s early goal matched a World Cup record for Belgium by having 10 different players score in a tournament, something only done before by France in 1982 and Italy in 2006.

Both Belgium and England were playing for the seventh time in 26 days, but the Belgians entered the match with an extra day of rest.

Meunier scored in the fourth minute, knocking a cross from Nacer Chadli past England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford. Hazard added the other off a pass from Kevin De Bruyne in the 82nd.

Toby Alderweireld denied England’s best chance of the game, sliding on the goal line to clear a shot from Eric Dier.

England matched its best World Cup result — fourth in 1990 — since winning the tournament for the only time in 1966.

“Today shows there’s room for improvement. We’re not the finished article. We’re still learning. We’re still getting better,” England striker Harry Kane said. “We don’t want to wait another 20-odd years to get into another major semifinal.”

Belgium’s previous best finish at the World Cup was fourth, but the team outplayed England in the midfield to go one better this time.

The Belgians could easily have scored more, with Pickford making a good save to stop a shot from De Bruyne in the 11th and Alderweireld volleying narrowly over the bar in the 35th.

England made set pieces the cornerstone of its run to the World Cup semifinals and created chances for Harry Maguire and Dier in the second half. Neither hit the target with their headers.

It was the second time England and Belgium met in this year’s tournament. In the group stage, both teams had already qualified before Belgium’s 1-0 win in Kaliningrad.

England coach Gareth Southgate made five changes to face Belgium, but Danny Rose and Fabian Delph made little impact while Dier started slowly but threatened in the second half.

Phil Jones failed to intercept the pass which led to Hazard’s goal.

The two replacements in Belgium’s lineup were more effective. Meunier scored and Youri Tielemans dominated the midfield.

Kane is still placed to win the Golden Boot with a tournament-leading six goals ahead of Sunday’s final.

Kane last scored in England’s win over Colombia in the round of 16. On Saturday, he slipped as he shot wide in the first half, then failed to make contact with Jesse Lingard’s cross early in the second.

Romelu Lukaku couldn’t add to his four goals for Belgium and was substituted shortly after misjudging a through ball by De Bruyne. </s> Belgium beat England in the World Cup third-place playoff on Saturday to ensure their best-ever finish as tournament top scorer Harry Kane admitted his side need to improve if they are to end their long trophy drought.

Goals from Thomas Meunier and Eden Hazard secured a deserved 2-0 victory in Saint Petersburg and meant Belgium bettered their performance at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, where they finished fourth.

Belgium, who suffered a painful 1-0 defeat to France in the semi-finals, also beat Gareth Southgate's England in the first round in Russia on their way to topping the group before beating Japan and Brazil.

"It's all about the achievement. This is Belgium's best finish at a World Cup. The players deserve that and they wanted to make the country proud," said coach Roberto Martinez said.

Southgate's men were forced to settle for England's joint-best performance at a World Cup abroad, matching that of the 1990 generation in Italy.

Tottenham's Kane remains the overwhelming favourite to win the Golden Boot with six goals, although he admitted his frustration at failing to find the net in England's final three games.

He said despite England's run to the semi-finals, where they were beaten by Croatia, the young team are still not the finished article.

"We closed it for sure (the gap to the top teams)," he said. "But today shows, and some other games show, that there is still room for improvement."

"Obviously I'm disappointed I couldn't get a goal in the last few games," added the Tottenham Hotspur striker, who is aiming to become just the second England player after Gary Lineker in 1986 to win the Golden Boot.

"Sometimes it goes for you, sometimes it doesn't. But if I win it, it'll be something I'll be very proud of."

Didier Deschamps' France are firm favourites to win Sunday's showpiece in Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium and become world champions for the second time -- 20 years after their first triumph in 1998.

France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris said they are shutting out the mounting excitement at home as they focus on one final push against Croatia.

Tens of thousands of people flooded the streets of Paris following Tuesday's semi-final win over Belgium and confidence is high that Deschamps' team can match the achievement of the 1998 winners.

L'Equipe's Saturday magazine supplement even came with a front cover photo of crowds on the Champs-Elysees avenue. "See you tomorrow," read the caption.

"To be honest with you, we are in our bubble," said goalkeeper and captain Hugo Lloris.

"Of course we know what's happening in France, all the more so after seeing all the images after the Belgium game.

"But tomorrow we will be coming up against opponents of great quality. They deserve to be in the final just as much as us. They have demonstrated their worth and that they have the physical and mental resources to go and win it."

Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic is prepared to make changes if some of his players have not recovered from their exertions in reaching football's biggest game.

Dalic's men have been forced to go through three periods of extra-time against Denmark, Russia and England to become the smallest country in 68 years to make the final.

"One thing that brings me happiness is that all my players tell me if they are not 100 percent fit," he said.

"They will concede they are not fit. They know what is at stake, but if they are unable to give their all they will tell us. They have such an attitude."

Ivan Perisic, who scored and set up Mario Mandzukic's winner in the semi-final win over England, was among five Croatian players to miss training on Friday.

"We need relaxation and rest to gain freshness for tomorrow," Dalic said. "We have some minor injuries, minor problems, and I hope my players will be ready. If not, I have great players on the bench who will be raring to go." </s> Belgium beat England 2-0 in the FIFA World Cup third-place play-off to secure their best ever finish at a World Cup and send Gareth Southgate's side home with a second straight loss.

Photo: PHOTOSPORT

France will face Croatia in tomorrow's final at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow.

A fourth-minute goal from Thomas Meunier and an 82nd minute Eden Hazard strike earned Belgium the victory and the third-place, which improves on their previous best performance of a fourth-place finish in 1986.

Read more of our FIFA 2018 coverage:

"It's all about that achievement. I think these players deserve that," said Belgium coach Roberto Martinez.

"What we have seen in this World Cup is that the players did not want to rely on talent anymore, they wanted to rely on working as a team, becoming a group of players that would do anything to achieve results".

England were on top for most of the second half but with captain Harry Kane looking tired, Belgium's greater sharpness in the final third proved decisive.

"This game showed there is still room for improvement," said Kane.

"We're not the finished article, we're still improving and will only get better. We don't want to wait another 20 years to get into the semi-finals and the big matches. We need to improve, we need to get better but that will come," he said.

Belgium's early strike came when Romelu Lukaku swung the ball out left to Nacer Chadli who burst down the wing and slipped the ball across the face of the goal and Meunier confidently slotted past Jordan Pickford.

The goal means Belgium have had 10 different goalscorers at this World Cup -- equalling the record set by France in 1982 and Italy in 2006.

While England manager Gareth Southgate made five changes to the side which lost to Croatia, Martinez made just two switches.

Meunier returned from suspension and Youri Tielemans given a start ahead of Marouane Fellaini in midfield with the Belgians fielding their strong front three of Lukaku, Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard.

De Bruyne should have made it 2-0 in the 12th minute when the ball found him at the back post after a slip-up from John Stones, but his poorly struck shot was easily dealt with by Pickford.

Kane, the tournament's top scorer with six goals, had an opportunity when set up by Raheem Sterling in the 24th minute but was off-balance as he screwed his shot wide.

Southgate brought on Marcus Rashford for Sterling and Jesse Lingard for Danny Rose at the break and the change worked well, with England well on top in the second half.

Toby Alderweireld was forced to clear an Eric Dier effort off his line at full stretch after a neat exchange between the Tottenham midfielder and Rashford ended with a chip over Belgian keeper Thibaut Courtois.

Dier and then Harry Maguire both headed wide from promising positions, while at thee other end Meunier went close to a second with a powerful volley that Pickford did well to save.

But the game was wrapped up when De Bruyne burst from midfield and slipped the ball through to Hazard, who glided past Phil Jones and fired into the bottom corner.

-Reuters </s> World Cup third place play-off: Belgium too good for England

SAINT PETERSBURG: Belgium achieved their best World Cup finish as goals from Thomas Meunier and Eden Hazard secured a 2-0 victory over England in Saturday’s third-place playoff in Saint Petersburg.

Meunier, who missed the semi-final loss to France due to suspension, scored after just four minutes before Hazard grabbed a late second as Belgium eclipsed the side that came fourth at the 1986 edition.

Belgium have now defeated England twice in a fortnight, having waited 82 years to beat them before winning 1-0 in their group stage encounter.

Gareth Southgate’s men were forced to settle for England’s joint best performance at a World Cup abroad, matching that of the 1990 generation.

He made five changes to the team beaten 2-1 by Croatia in the last four, as England fielded their youngest World Cup line-up in history — with an average age of 25 years and 174 days.

Phil Jones, Danny Rose, Eric Dier, Fabian Delph and Ruben Loftus-Cheek all came into the side, while Belgium boss Roberto Martinez recalled Meunier and handed a start to Youri Tielemans. Paris Saint-Germain defender Meunier made a quick impression by firing Belgium in front following an attack started by Romelu Lukaku.

The Manchester United forward released Nacer Chadli down the right into space behind the England defence, and his cross was turned home by Meunier who stepped in front of a static Rose. Jordan Pickford readjusted his body superbly to deny Kevin De Bruyne a second time, the Everton goalkeeper clawing away the ball after a sizeable deflection off Kieran Trippier.

Eden Hazard sought to exploit the spaces at every opportunity, the Belgium captain linked up intelligently with Tielemans on the edge of the area but was blocked off as he tried to pull the trigger. England slowly worked their way into the contest as Loftus-Cheek headed straight at Thibaut Courtois on 15 minutes.

Harry Kane blew a terrific chance to add to his six goals in Russia, the favourite for the Golden Boot scuffing harmlessly wide after an inviting lay-off from Raheem Sterling.

Toby Alderweireld, one of six Tottenham players on the pitch, then hooked just over after a mishit Tielemans shot dropped to the Belgium defender at a corner.

Belgium lost Chadli to a hamstring injury before half-time, while Southgate introduced Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard at the break for Sterling and Rose.

Their pace and directness gave England renewed vigour, with Lingard volleying across goal just out of the reach of a lunging Kane.

They received a let-off when Lukaku failed to control a defence-splitting pass from De Bruyne, allowing Pickford to charge off his line to smother.

And it looked as though Dier was going to draw England level when he lifted the ball over Courtois, only for Alderweireld to race back to clear off the line. </s> St. Petersburg, July 13 (IANS) A match that no team wants to be part of — playoff for the third place. Deflated England and Belgium will nonetheless want to end their FIFA World Cup campaign somewhat on a high on Saturday.

England were left in the lurch after a gut-wrenching 1-2 defeat at the hands of Croatia after extra-time.

Aiming a shot at the second World Cup triumph, Gareth Southgate’s wards fell short despite taking a fifth minute lead through Keiran Trippier.

On Saturday, they will take on a side they lost to in the group stages albeit both teams played their second teams.

Roberto Martinez’s Belgium, who were beaten 0-1 by France in the last-four stage, topped Group G ahead of England after an Adnan Januzaj goal proved to be decisive.

England will aim to achieve their best finish since they won the competition in 1966.

For Belgium, who have a collection of world class players, a win would be the nation’s best result at the World Cup. They finished fourth in 1986.

For the record, European teams have claimed the third place in the past nine World Cups.

A sub-plot to the third place tie is the race to be the top-scorer in the tourney.

England skipper Harry Kane is atop the charts with six goals to his name but Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku is just two goals behind him in the race for the Golden Boot.

With one more goal Kane would become the highest scorer in the World Cup since 2002, when Brazil’s Ronaldo struck eight times, including twice in the final, as the South American heavyweights bagged a record fifth title.

The Tottenham Hotspur star forward would be just the second England player to scoop the award, after Gary Lineker was the top scorer in 1986. </s> Both teams were looking to bounce back from the disappointment of narrow semi-final defeats at the Krestovsky Stadium.

Belgium began as the quicker of the two sides and took the lead after four minutes of the game, with the impressive Thomas Meunier opening the scoring.

The full back, crucially suspended for the semi-final loss to France, tapped in at the back post after a left wing cross from Nacer Chadli.

The Belgian team remained the stronger side throughout the duration of the first half, as they looked to secure their best ever finish at the tournament.

England were improved after the break, with Eric Dier going closest to equalising after chipping over Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois from close range.

Toby Alderweireld, Dier's team-mate at club level with Tottenham, slid in to clear the ball off the line to preserve Belgium's lead.

While England increased the pressure as the match progressed, they continued to look vulnerable to Belgium on the counter attack.

One such flowing attack led to Jordan Pickford saving impressively from a powerful Meunier volley, before the English goalkeeper saved smartly from Kevin de Bruyne.

Belgium's victory was sealed with eight minutes remaining as their captain Eden Hazard escaped Phil Jones in the area, before slotting past Pickford.

Victory saw Belgium surpass their previous best World Cup result, a fourth place finish at Mexico 1986.

England equalled their best finish since winning the tournament in 1966, having also ended fourth at Italy 1990.

It looks increasingly likely that England's Harry Kane will secure the tournament's golden boot on six goals, with Belgium's Romelu Lukaku unable to close the gap in the race to be the top goalscorer today.

Attention now turns to the World Cup Final between 1998 winners France and Croatia, who are looking to win the tournament for the first time.

The match will take place at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow tomorrow. </s> WORLD CUP: Belgium has exceptional talent but so many doubts

BRUSSELS (AP) — Belgium has all the ingredients for success at the World Cup.

Romelu Lukaku leads the attack, supported by the creative genius of Eden Hazard and with Kevin De Bruyne pulling the strings in midfield. Thibaut Courtois is in goal.

But for all the exceptional talent, Belgium keeps underwhelming at major tournaments, only reaching the quarterfinals at the 2014 World Cup and 2016 European Championship.

There are doubts throughout the team. Center back Vincent Kompany spends much of his time in the treatment room at Manchester City. Too many Belgian players have morphed into glorified benchwarmers these days after falling out of favor, including Toby Alderweireld at Tottenham, Thomas Meunier at Paris Saint-Germain and Thomas Vermaelen at Barcelona.

Axel Witsel and Yannick Ferreira Carrasco do have a lock on their starting position for their clubs, but in the modest Chinese league.

It all makes the road to World Cup success seem far from clear for FIFA's third-ranked team.

Here's a closer look at the Belgium team:

It took a loss to Wales at the 2016 European Championship for Belgium to oust underachieving coach Marc Wilmots and turn to Roberto Martinez, a Spanish coach with Premier League experience.

Martinez led Belgium to the top of its qualifying group with an unbeaten record. But it's unclear how a coach who spent most of his time with teams like Wigan, Swansea and Everton will endure at a World Cup.

At least he has already won a trophy, taking unheralded Wigan to the FA Cup title by beating Manchester City in 2013.

Having Courtois in goal has made Belgium the envy of world football.

Then came the night in March at Barcelona when Lionel Messi beat Courtois twice with shots through the legs to open up the Chelsea goalkeeper to international ridicule for the first time. Courtois will need to banish any self-doubt in Russia.

When it comes to doubt, there is plenty of uncertainty about backup Simon Mignolet, who has been banished to the bench at Liverpool.

Previously known for its dour defensive prowess, Belgium added flair with Kompany, Alderweireld, Meunier and Jan Vertonghen.

Going into the World Cup, though, only Vertonghen inspires confidence and gets all the playing time he wants at Tottenham.

Every time the 32-year-old Kompany takes the field for Belgium, onlookers fear he could come down with another injury.

This department is where Belgium's genius resides, with De Bruyne and Hazard dazzling with sparkling moves and piercing passes. Even if their synergy on the field has not been perfect, Martinez has been getting close enough.

Now the coach has to figure out what to do with Radja Nainggolan, whose skillful doggedness helped take Roma past Barcelona in the Champions League.

Martinez, though, has fallen out with Nainggolan and criticized his sometimes raucous off-field behavior. It means Nainggolan is still not an automatic pick to make it to Russia.

The 24-year-old Lukaku is already Belgium's all-time top scorer with 33 goals.

All hope is invested in Lukaku staying fit and in form for the World Cup after an impressive first season leading the Manchester United attack, with De Bruyne and Hazard in support.

Martinez can also turn to Dries Mertens, the deft, diminutive winger-striker who has been instrumental in Napoli's pursuit of the Serie A title.

Michy Batshuayi was just hitting form with Dortmund when he injured his ankle in early April and is racing to be fit for Russia.

After opening in the Black Sea resort of Sochi on June 18 against Panama, the second Group G game is close to its Moscow base against Tunisia on June 23. The group concludes on June 28 against England in Kaliningrad. </s> Olympic silver medallists Belgium beat three-time champions the Netherlands via shootout in the final of the 2018 FIH Men's Hockey World Cup at the Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar on Sunday.

The regulation time of the intense all-European final ended goalless, forcing the penalty shootout. In the shootout, three Belgian players converted from the spot, while only two Dutch players managed to beat the opposition goalie.

In the semis, Belgium beat England 6-0, while the Netherlands beat India 3-1. This was the first time Belgium had managed to go past the semi-final stage, and they have lifted the most prestigious trophy in field hockey in their first ever final.

Ranked third in the world, Belgium's tournament proper actually started in the second round. They finished second to hosts India in Pool C, then in the crossover,

they defeated the most successful team in the tournament's history and four-time winners Pakistan 5-0, which was followed by the mauling of England.

Then, in the final, they beat neighbours and second-most successful team.

Earlier in the evening, history chasing Australia defeated England 8-1 in a one-sided third-place play-off to claim the bronze medal.

In the last edition of the World Cup at The Hague in the Netherlands, Belgium had finished fifth.

The Netherlands failed to match Pakistan's record of a fourth world title for the second consecutive edition. The Dutch had finished runners-up to Australia four years ago in front of their home crowd. They last won a World Cup title way back in 1998 in Utrecht.

Incidentally, it was the Netherlands' second consecutive match that went to shootout in the tournament after their victory over Australia in the semi-finals on Saturday.

In Sunday's shoot-out, Belgium goalkeeper Vincent Vanasch outmatched his Dutch counterpart Pirmin Blaak by making four saves to hand his side their maiden World Cup title.

There was hardly anything to separate the two sides in the shoot-out as they were levelled 2-2 after five tries. While Jeroen Hertzberger and Jonas de Geus scored for the Netherlands, Florent van Aubel and Victor Wegnez were on target for Belgium.

However, the shoot-out was not without drama as Belgium needed Arthur de Sloover to score from their fifth and last attempt to win the game and he did so, sending the Red Lions bench into wild celebrations.

But the Dutch goalkeeper asked for a referral for a foot and the goal was later withdrawn after TV replays showed the ball indeed touch De Sloover's feet while he was pushing it into the net past Blaak.

The reversal meant that the match went into sudden death and Van Aubel was given the responsibility by Belgium to take the first opportunity and he duly converted it.

It was then Netherlands' turn to score and continue the sudden death but Hertzberger faltered this time as Belgium goalkeeper Vanasch came up with another brilliant save to hand his side the biggest win of their careers.

The title clash, which was witnessed by none other than cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, turned out to be a fierce contest between the two European sides.

While the Netherlands took the early initiative and attacked continuously in the first two quarters, Belgium made a strong comeback after the change of ends.

Belgium, though, had the first chance but Tom Boon's deflection in the second minute went just wide. Minutes later, Hertzberger's reverse struck the side-netting.

It was a midfield slugfest between the two teams as both created chances but lacked the final touch inside the opposition circle.

The Netherlands had two penalty corners in the match but the Red Lions defended stoutly to deny them any inroads.

Belgium, on the other hand, failed to secure a single penalty corner in the game.

Two minutes after half time, Belgium skipper Thomas Briels' shot was saved by Dutch goalie Blaak.

Belgium pressed hard in the final 10 minutes of the game, putting relentless pressure on the Dutch defence but a breakthrough eluded them.
Belgium defeats England 2–0 to finish at third place—its best ever result at a World Cup.