Player Ratings: Belgium 3-2 Japan - Chelsea man the top performing star in exciting match
WhoScored.com run through the individual player ratings after Belgium’s entertaining 3-2 win over Japan to secure their spot in the quarter-final…
BELGIUM - 7.10
Thibaut Courtois - 6.43 - Made three saves and one successful cross claim, but could do nothing to stop Genki Haraguchi and Takashi Inui from scoring.
Toby Alderweireld - 6.24 - Had little to do defensively down his side, making one interception and one clearance, yet his distribution was solid, completing six of 10 attempted long balls.
Vincent Kompany - 6.65 - Made the second most clearances, with five, but in turn committed four fouls across the 90 minutes.
Jan Vertonghen - 7.13 - Atoned for his error that led to Haraguchi’s goal with a header that halved the deficit on Belgium’s way to a remarkable comeback.
Yannick Carrasco - 5.72 - A performance to forget for Carrasco, who failed to create a chance and put in an accurate cross. Could lose his starting spot for the meeting with Brazil.
Axel Witsel - 7.16 - Not a standout performance from Witsel, but he chipped in with one tackle and three interceptions. A 93.6% pass success rate was commendable as he kept things ticking over.
Kevin De Bruyne - 7.69 - Created four goalscoring chances and was accurate with seven of his eight attempted crosses. Defended well, too, with two tackles and two interceptions.
Thomas Meunier - 7.96 - Like De Bruyne, he too played four key passes and completed two successful dribbles. Provided the key assist that saw Belgium win.
Eden Hazard - 8.72 (man of the match) - Provided the assist for Marouane Fellaini’s assist that drew Belgium level while five key passes and five successful dribbles helped land the man of the match award.
Dries Mertens - 6.62 - Made five key passes before his second half withdrawal, yet failed to have the desired impact in the final third.
Romelu Lukaku - 6.32 - Had more shots against Japan (6) than he did against Panama and Tunisia combined (5) and on another day, could’ve had a hat-trick. Intelligent running and a clever dummy helped Belgium to victory late on, however.
Subs: Marouane Fellaini (7.30), Nacer Chadli (8.30)
JAPAN - 6.68
Eiji Kawashima - 7.14 - Kept Japan in the game with five saves and one successful cross claim and chipped in with more accurate long balls (9) than any other player.
Hiroki Sakai - 6.56 - Not a memorable attacking performance from Sakai, but he did at least make two tackles and three interceptions in the 90 minutes.
Maya Yoshida - 6.93 - Was in the right place at the right time to alleviate pressure on the Japan goal, with his 14 clearances the joint-most in a World Cup match so far.
Gen Shoji - 6.09 - Not the best performance from the centre-back, who struggled with the movement of Hazard, Mertens and Lukaku, all the while winning just the one aerial duel.
Yuto Nagatomo - 6.24 - Was too focused on following Lukaku’s run for Chadli’s goal that he gave Meunier a free run down the right late one. Failed to make a tackle or interception over 90 minutes.
Makoto Hasebe - 6.55 - Was drawn in by Lukaku for the late goal as he failed to keep Chadli in check and that proved costly. The Japan captain did make two tackles and two interceptions, to his credit.
Gaku Shibasaki - 6.77 - Provided the assist for Haraguchi’s goal early in the second half with his only key pass. However, it wasn’t a stand out performance from the 26-year-old, who was subbed off with 10 minutes to go.
Genki Haraguchi - 7.77 - Put Japan ahead early in the second half and was a general menace before his 80th minute withdrawal as he made one key pass and one successful dribble.
Shinji Kagawa - 6.70 - Credited with the assist for Takashi Inui’s stunning goal with one of his three key passes. Also returned a 90.9% pass success rate as he retained possession well.
Takashi Inui - 7.13 - Scored a stunning second goal for Japan that left Courtois grasping at thin air. Chipped in with one key pass too to cap off a solid performance.
Yuya Osaka - 6.76 - Rarely troubled the Belgium backline and was dispossessed two times. Did win five aerial duels and was fouled four times, but failed to have a shot.
Subs: Hotaru Yamaguchi (5.92), Keisuke Honda (6.33)
