Belgium's trip to the quarter-finals has been like watching someone try to start a car in winter — a whole lot of sputtering and frustration before the engine finally roars to life. Rudi Garcia's men stumbled through the group stage looking about as threatening as a wet napkin, but somewhere along the way they discovered their scoring boots, and now Spain have a serious problem on their hands.
Let's start with the ugly stuff. The opening match against Egypt was a slog. Emam Ashour curled in a gorgeous strike and Belgium were trailing at halftime, looking lost. Enter Romelu Lukaku off the bench, whose mere presence caused enough chaos for an own goal to salvage a 1-1 draw. Then came Iran, where Lukaku made his first start in over a year and the entire team played like they'd never met each other. A 0-0 snooze-fest that somehow got worse when Nathan Ngoy got himself sent off with 24 minutes left. Two games, zero wins, and the Belgian faithful were reaching for the antacids.
But then — the transformation. New Zealand were on the receiving end of a 5-1 demolition job where Leandro Trossard bagged a brace, Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne joined the party, and suddenly Belgium looked like a completely different animal. They topped the group on goal difference and carried that spark into the knockout rounds.
The Round of 32 against Senegal was pure cinema. Belgium were on the verge of elimination before Lukaku gave them a lifeline, Youri Tielemans headed in the equalizer literally moments later, and then the same man stepped up to bury a penalty at the death and send the Red Devils through. If that was dramatic, the Round of 16 against the host nation USA was a statement. Charles De Ketelaere put Belgium ahead twice, and when the Americans pushed for an equalizer, Hans Vanaken and Lukaku slammed the door shut with second-half goals in a 4-1 thrashing. Three games, 12 goals, and suddenly this team looks like they could score against anyone. Next up: Spain, who haven't conceded a single goal all tournament. The irresistible force meets the immovable object. Someone's record is about to break.
