Belgium defeats Brazil 2-1 and advances to the semifinals
Belgium resisted the onslaught and pressure that Brazil imposed from the start, and luck smiled at them in the 13th minute when Fernandinho scored an own goal after the ball hit him in the shoulder following a shot by Vincent Kompany in a corner kick sent from the left wing.
With the counterattack as their main weapon, the Belgians increased their lead in the 31st minute in a play where Romelu Lukaku took the ball in his own half, beat two opponents with speed, and assisted Kevin de Bruyne, who defeated Alisson with a powerful and well-placed shot on the edge of the area.
Despite the disadvantage, Brazil, one of the favorites to win the title, continued to dominate and generate chances that they failed to convert until the 76th minute, when substitute Renato Augusto scored with a header close to the left post after a precise pass from Philippe Coutinho.
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Despite their dominance and pressure throughout the match, the five-time world champions failed to equalize, in part due to Thibaut Courtois' accurate interventions, who saved his goal on at least four occasions.
Now the Belgians, who have not reached the semifinals of a World Cup in 32 years, will seek the ticket to the title match when they face France in Saint Petersburg on Tuesday.
Earlier, France became the first semifinalist of the World Cup after defeating Uruguay 2-0 thanks to a goal and an assist by Antoine Griezmann.