Since West Germany defeated England 3-2 in the 1970 World Cup quarter-final, no team has ever managed to recover from a two-goal deficit at the tournament's knockout stage. But Belgium rewrote that piece of trivia by coming back from 0-2 to eliminate Japan in one of the best games of this tournament in Russia. As the Red Devils celebrate a rousing win, the Samurai Blue head home with a lot of credit. 1. Goals Belgium (Jan Vertonghen 69th minute, Marouane Fellaini 74th, Nacer Chadli 90th) Japan (Genki Haraguchi 48th, Takashi Inui 52nd) 2. The wow moment It takes something special to beat a goalkeeper of Thibaut Courtois' calibre but that is exactly what Inui did when he bent a 25m shot beyond the Belgian's fingertips for a goal to remember. It showed just how fearless Japan were, willing to take on a major footballing power like Belgium and testing Courtois from distance. 3. The talking point Japan only had seconds to hold on to take the game to extra time but they elected to pour almost the entire forward to attack a corner kick. When the move broke down, Belgium immediately counter-attacked through Kevin de Bruyne and Chadli arrived to tap home the winner with virtually the last kick of the game. Some might point out that Japan were arguably a little naive but this remains moot. 4. The star It is honours even between Eden Hazard and Yuto Nagatomo. Both men played to their maximum in this absorbing contest. Hazard wants to join the ranks of super elite players like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo and he added another exhibit in his case file by running repeatedly at Japan and threatening with his shooting and through passes. Given the armband, Hazard showed leadership qualities out there as he took on the Japanese by himself. Equally impressive was Nagatomo. He had a busy night trying to stifle the overlapping Thomas Meunier but the left-back was able to combine his defensive work with penetrating runs into the Belgian half. Time and again, Nagatomo whipped teasing crosses and was delightful to watch as he combined in webs of passes with Shinji Kagawa and Inui. 5. What the result means Belgium saved their skin in the most dramatic fashion and will now meet Brazil in the quarter-final. The Selecao has been unrelenting in Russia so far and the Red Devils will be mindful not to be caught out by counter-attacking tactics like how Japan exposed them. But this fixture is also an opportunity for Belgium's golden generation to make a statement. If they can beat Brazil, the sky is the limit. After the controversial way Japan had qualified for the last 16, running down the clock in their 0-1 defeat by Poland, the Samurai Blue were roundly criticised for their negative tactics. But Nishino and his men redeemed themselves in this match. Even after taking a 2-0 lead, the Japanese continued to attack. No gamesmanship, no theatrics like Neymar, just pure attacking football. The result is an open contest of end-to-end action and the fans were indeed given a royal treat.<doc-sep>Copy Link Icon Belgium vs Japan: Live Updates, Score and Reaction from World Cup Game Belgium (National Football) vs Japan (National Football) Rostov The World Cup’s round of 16 continues on Monday, with Belgium and Japan facing off at the Rostov Arena. Belgium won three from three in their group to top the standings, and Roberto Martinez’s side will be strongly fancied to advance. Japan were fortunate to get out of their group, as they lost their final game to Poland and progressed because they received fewer yellow cards than Senegal. Belgium will be confident, but in a World Cup of shocks, the Samurai Blue cannot be discounted.<doc-sep>✕ Close Belgium World Cup profile Belgium eventually eased their way past Panama then made light work against Tunisia in their opening group games. They qualified as Group G winners after beating England 1-0 in a game they made wholesale changes for. Japan secured qualification from their group in the most extraordinary manner. They were level on points, goal difference and head-to-head record with Senegal who were in the last ten minutes of their game against Colombia. Those standings remained the same and Japan edge through as Group H runners up due to picking up less yellow cards than Senegal. The sides met in a friendly match in November 2017 where Romelu Lukaku scored the only goal of the game. Follow all the action in the live blog below What time is it? Belgium vs Japan kicks off at 19:00 at the Rostov Arena. Where can I watch it? BBC will be showing live coverage on BBC1 and online on the BBC Sport website Odds Belgium: 2/5 Japan: 9/1 Draw (90 minutes): 7/2 Prediction Belgium 2-0 Japan. Japan have been extremely well drilled in their group games but are unlikely to have the individual quality to cope with Belgium’s impressive playmakers and forwards.<doc-sep>
JAPAN have been knocked out of the World Cup in the cruellest fashion possible, in what many are labelling the game of the tournament so far. After galloping out to a two-goal lead, Akira Nishino’s men fell to a 3-2 victory as Nacer Chadli netted a heartbreaking winner in the 94th minute to send Belgium into the last eight. “Belgium won the match, but Japan won our hearts,” was the general consensus after the clash. It was a simply heart stopping encounter. It was 0-0 at the halftime break, before the match sprung to life via a stunning Japan blitz which saw Genki Haraguchi finish off a fast counter and Takashi Inui net an outrageous rocket from outside the box. The match was primed to go down as one of the great upsets, but Belgium had other ideas – and the match turned following the introduction of substitutes Marouane Fellaini and Nacer Chadli. A Roberto Martinez move many pointed out as the turning point in the clash. After the introduction of the lanky midfielder, the Belgians sprung to life. Jan Vertonghen opened their account in the 69th minute to snare a glimmer of hope with a long range header, before Fellaini completed the comeback just five minutes later with a towering headed effort from close range. It was primed for penalties, as Japan rolled the dice in the last play of the game – opting to throw numbers forward for a corner. It proved a disastrous miscalculation. Belgium countered quickly and with purpose, going coast to coast to snatch a dramatic winner through Nacer Chadli in one of the great finishes. An instant classic, which sent Japan packing in heartbreaking fashion and saw Belgium progress to a massive quarter final clash with favourites Brazil.