Group H
Belgium
Marc Wilmots’ Belgium undoubtedly provide one of the most intriguing subplots
of this World Cup. There is the belief in some quarters that this ‘golden generation’
has what it takes to emulate the 1986 team and reach the semi-finals of this
tournament. And one can understand such a point of view. While the winner is
likely to emerge from powerhouses Brazil, Spain, Germany and Argentina, this
Belgium side has the potential to upset the established order and truly
announce themselves on the world stage.
Wilmots’ side went undefeated and never looked back after their comfortable
away win in Wales back in September 2012. How have Belgium been able to
assemble a group of such ultra-talented young players all at once? In a similar
way to Germany, Belgium improved their coaching at grassroots level, fed young
players through a honed academy system and ensured that they were given a
chance at a young age. The results could be spectacular over the coming years.
How they qualified
Having looked to be building towards something special for a number of
years, Belgium finally made the breakthrough many expected, with a golden
generation seemingly capable of challenging the best. Les Diables Rouges (Red
Devils) proved that on the road to Brazil 2014, topping Group A ahead of the
likes of Croatia, Serbia and Scotland after an almost faultless campaign. The
Belgians only dropped points in an early draw against Croatia and a second
stalemate in their final outing, when their finals place was already assured.
They sealed their progress in their penultimate encounter, an excellent 2-1
victory in Zagreb that owed much to a double from Romelu Lukaku, one of several
talents who have added a new dimension to their game since moving to the
English Premier League.
World Cup history
Founding members of FIFA, Belgium have taken part in 11 FIFA World Cup
final tournaments and were an ever-present force between 1982 and 2002. In
1998, the side coached by Georges Leekens in his first spell at the helm came
third in their group and made an early exit, while in 2002 Robert Waseige’s men
fell in the last 16 to eventual winners Brazil. Neither of those teams came
anywhere close to matching the generation that sparkled during Mexico in 1986,
when they reached the semi-finals before succumbing to Argentina.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Thibaut
Courtois (Atletico Madrid), Simon Mignolet (FC Liverpool), Koen Casteels
(Hoffenheim), Silvio Proto (Anderlecht)
Defenders: Toby Alderweireld (Atletico Madrid), Laurent
Ciman (Standard Liege), Vincent Kompany (Manchester City), Nicolas
Lombaerts(Zenit St. Petersburg), Daniel Van Buyten (Bayern Munich), Anthony
Vanden Borre (Anderlecht) , Thomas Vermaelen(Arsenal), Jan Vertonghen
(Tottenham)
Midfielders: Nacer Chadli (Tottenham), Kevin De Bruyne
(Wolfsburg), Steven Defour (Porto), Moussa Dembele (Tottenham), Marouane
Fellaini (Manchester United), Axel Witsel (Zenit St. Petersburg)
Forwards: Eden Hazard (Chelsea), Adnan Januzaj (Manchester United), Romelu
Lukaku (Everton), Dries Mertens (Napoli), Kevin Mirallas (Everton), Divock
Origi (Lille)
Key players
On paper, Belgium can call upon an armada of stars, all plying their trade
in Europe’s most prestigious championships. From outstanding young goalkeeper
Thibaut Courtois, through to the explosive Romelu Lukaku in attack, the team
oozes class and potential. Captain Vincent Kompany can lay serious claim to
being one of the best defenders in world soccer and is well respected both on
and off the pitch. Axel Witsel is the team’s midfield general and was an ever
present in qualifying. The pace and trickery of Kevin Mirallas, the strength of
Mousa Dembele and the skill and invention of Eden Hazard were all key factors
in Belgium comfortably topping Group A ahead of Croatia. And this is before
even giving a mention to established Premier League performers Jan Vertongen,
Thomas Vermaelen and Marouane Fellaini. Let’s also not forget Kevin De Bruyne,
instrumental in the 3-0 win away to Serbia and top scorer in qualifying with
four goals. The injury to main striker Christian Benteke is a blow, but Lukaku
should prove a more than able replacement.
The Coach: Marc
Wilmots
Belgium’s leading scorer in World Cup history, Wilmots was a creative
midfielder and has been one of the nation’s best players of the last 20 years.
His ability to speak French, Dutch and German has been instrumental in bridging
the linguistic divide and helping to establish harmony in the squad.
Prediction: Knockout stage
Wilmots will have been more than happy with a group containing Russia,
South Korea and Algeria. It will almost certainly be a two-way fight with
Russia to decide who finishes top, and Wilmots undoubtedly has a stronger team
at his disposal than Capello, if a less experienced one. While several of
Belgium’s old guard believe that reaching the second round should be considered
a success and that a strong Euro 2016 is what Belgium are gunning for, but they
are tipped to defy the odds and make the quarter-finals by topping their group.
Quik Facts:
Fifa Ranking: 12th
Best World Cup Result: Semi-finals (1986)
Best European Championship Result: Runners-up (1980)
Record Scorers: Bernard Voorhoof and Paul Van Himst (30)
Most Capped Player: Jan Ceulemans (96)
Captain: Vincent Kompany
Group Matches:
Tuesday 17th June v Algeria (Belo Horzonte)
Sunday 22nd June v Russia (Rio de Janeiro)
Thursday 26th June v South Korea (Sao Paulo)
Russia
Despite promising much, Russia’s recent history at the World Cup is little
to write home about. Having failed to qualify for three out of the past four
tournaments, and never progressing past the group stages since the break-up of
the Soviet Union, they will be determined to make an impression in Brazil
before they themselves take a turn at playing hosts in 2018.
A large majority of the squad ply their trade with their home country, and they
are blessed with a strong spine of experienced regulars in Igor Akinfeev,
Sergei Ignashevich, and Roman Shirokov. Add to that the skill of Alan Dzagoev,
the goals of Alexandr Kerzhakov and the expertise of manager Fabio Capello and
you have a squad truly capable of threatening the big boys in the group stage
and beyond. This was shown during their impressive qualifying campaign, as they
outperformed a Portuguese side spearheaded by Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano
Ronaldo, which will give the Russians confidence that they can be a real threat
to anyone.
How they qualified
Drawn alongside Portugal, Russia were not favourites to win Group F and
earn direct passage to Brazil 2014. Expectations soon shifted after a perfect
start to their campaign, as the Russians kicked off with wins over Northern
Ireland and Israel. Having set the tone, Fabio Capello’s side then revealed
their ambitions by beating the Portuguese in Moscow courtesy of a solitary
Alexander Kerzhakov goal. A narrow 1-0 defeat of Azerbaijan made it four wins
out of four, at which point the Russians stumbled, losing to Portugal away and
then going down unexpectedly to the Northern Irish in a fixture that had to be
rescheduled due to bad weather. With the Portuguese breathing down their necks,
Capello’s charges had no option but to react, which they did, sandwiching a
home win over Israel with two defeats of Luxembourg. That run that left them
needing only a draw away to the Azeris to book their return to the world
finals, a result they duly secured.
World Cup history
Russia reached the quarter-finals at Sweden 1958, Chile 1962 and Mexico
1970. In the former two tournaments, they were eliminated by the hosts, while
Uruguay were accountable for their exit after extra time in Mexico City. The
Eastern Europeans went one better at England 1966, when, inspired by goalkeeper
Lev Yashin and forward Igor Chislenko, they topped their group and edged a formidable
Hungary, before losing 2-1 to both West Germany in the semis and Portugal in
the play-off for third place. First-phase elimination befell the Russians in
the last two appearances at the FIFA World Cup, at USA 1994 and Korea/Japan
2002, though they made their mark in the States with a crushing 6-1 defeat of
Cameroon, a match in which Oleg Salenko scored five goals en route to ending
the tournament as joint leading marksman. Russia then failed to reach Germany
2006 and South Africa 2010, the second of those campaigns ending in frustration
in the play-offs, where they were beaten by Slovenia.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Igor Akinfeev (CSKA Moscow), Yury Lodygin (Zenit St.
Petersburg), Sergey Ryzhikov (Rubin Kazan).
Defenders: Vasili Berezutskiy (CSKA Moscow), Vladimir Granat
(Dynamo Moscow), Andrey Eshchenko (Anzhi Makhachkala), Sergey Ignashevich (CSKA
Moscow), Alexey Kozlov (Dynamo Moscow), Dmitry Kombarov (Spartak Moscow),
Andrey Semenov (Terek Grozny), Georgi Schennikov (CSKA Moscow).
Midfielders: Denis Glushakov (Spartak Moscow), Igor Denisov
(Dynamo Moscow), Alan Dzagoev (CSKA Moscow), Yury Zhirkov (Dynamo Moscow),
Alexey Ionov (Dynamo Moscow), Pavel Mogilevets (Rubin Kazan), Alexander Samedov
(Lokomotiv Moscow), Victor Faizulin (Zenit St Petersburg), Oleg Shatov (Zenit
St. Petersburg), Roman Shirokov (Krasnodar).
Forwards: Maxim Kanunnikov (Amkar Perm), Alexander Kerzhakov
(Zenit St Petersburg), Alexander Kokorin (Dynamo Moscow)
Key players
This latest Russian side is built on solid defensive foundations.
Goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev did not miss a single minute of the qualifying
competition and conceded just five goals during the course of it, while Sergey
Ignashevich marshalled the defence with aplomb. Yet Fabio Capello’s most prized
assets can be found in what is a technically gifted and astute midfield unit,
where Roman Shirokov and Victor Fayzulin have continued to hone the partnership
they have forged at Zenit St Petersburg, scoring six goals between them in the
qualifiers. Perhaps not surprisingly, the team’s top scorer was Kerzhakov.
Though not always a starter, the Zenit striker helped himself to five goals
during the campaign, the most important of them being that winner against the
Portuguese. A lethal finisher, the former Sevilla man could wreak havoc in
Brazil.
The Coach: Fabio
Capello
A managerial heavyweight, having made his name initially in Italy with
Milan, Roma and Juventus before enjoying success with Real Madrid. He took the
England job in 2008 before resigning four years later and then taking up his
current position. He has built on the success of his predecessor Advocaat,
overcoming the threat of Portugal to lead Russia to the top of their qualifying
group for Brazil. A new contract ensuring that he will lead the country in
their home World Cup in 2018 is a sign of the faith in him, and under his
tutelage Russia will be confident of making their first real impression in a
World Cup since the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
Prediction: Knockout stage
With Capello at the helm and a settled side, the Russians will be confident
of making a real impression come the summer. Algeria and South Korea should
offer no real threat to them if they play to their capabilities, with Belgium
surely offering them the sternest of their credentials.
Quik Facts:
Fifa Ranking: 18th
Best World Cup Result: 4th place (1966)
Best European Championship Result: Winners (1960)
Record Scorer: Oleg Blokhin (42)
Most Capped Player: Oleg Blokhin (112)
Captain: Sergei Ignashevich
Group Matches:
Tuesday 17 June v South Korea (Cuiaba)
Sunday 22 June v Belgium (Rio de Janeiro)
Thursday 26 June v Algeria (Curitiba)
Algeria
Algeria’s World Cup record leaves plenty to be desired given they have
never qualified from the group stages, although they came close in 1982 when
they won two out of their three games, only to lose out to Austria on goal
difference. 2010 was a rather more straightforward tale for the Fennec Foxes as
they failed to score a goal and picked up a solitary point, in a 0-0 draw with
England. Despite topping their qualification group for the 2014 finals, losing
just once to Benin, Algeria finally qualified for Brazil thanks to a superior
away goals record against Burkina Faso.
Algeria can be considered as a sleeping giant of African
soccer, having enjoyed little success since the last time they were crowned
African Cup of Nations champions in 1990. They may, however, fancy their
chances of progressing through their World Cup group, given they have been
drawn alongside Belgium, Russia and South Korea in Group H. The majority of
Algeria’s squad operate outside of their native country, with the likes of
Ishak Belfodil (on loan at Livorno from Inter Milan) and Sofiane Feghouli
playing at a high level in Europe. That experience will be crucial if Algeria
are to better their previous World Cup record.
How they qualified
After a so-so South Africa 2010 and a poor 2013 CAF Africa Cup of Nations,
Algeria missed very few beats on their way to Brazil 2014. They won five of
their six group matches to easily top what might have been a tricky section
over Mali, Benin and Rwanda. Islam Slimani, who plies his trade in Portugal
with Sporting Lisbon, was Algeria’s leading scorer with five. Once in the final play-off round, they
were unlucky to draw one of the continents form teams in Burkina Faso, who
shocked Africa by finishing second at the 2013 AFCON. In that tie, they lost
the first leg 3-2 to a late penalty, but just claimed the place in Brazil with
a professional 1-0 win at home that gave them the advantage on away goals.
World Cup history
Algeria have played in a total of three FIFA World Cup finals. They got off
to the best possible start at the 1982 edition in Spain, beating West Germany
2-1 in their opening game. Despite a 3-2 victory over Chile in their final
group game, an earlier 2-0 loss to Austria meant that while level on points
with the latter, they were eliminated on goal difference. Mexico 1986 was less
memorable for the north African side. Drawn in Group D with Brazil, Spain and
Northern Ireland, two defeats and a draw left them bottom of the table and on
the first flight home. Nor were things much better at South Africa 2010. Pitted
against England, USA and Slovenia, they lost twice and drew their other
fixture, departing the competition without a goal to their name.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Mohamed Zemmamouche (USM Alger), Rais Mbolhi (CSKA Sofia,
Bulgaria), Cedric Si Mohamed (CS Constantine)
Defenders: Carl Medjani (Valenciennes), Aissa Mandi
(Reims), Madjid Bougherra (Lekhwiya), Faouzi Ghoulam (Naples), Rafik Halliche
(Academica Coimbra), Essaid Belkalem (Watford), Liassine Cadamuro (Majorque),
Djamel Mesbah (Livourne), Mehdi Mostefa (AC Ajaccio)
Midfielders: Sofiane Feghouli (Valence), Saphir Taider
(Inter Milan), Medhi Lacen (Getafe), Abdelmoumen Djabou (Club Africain), Yacine
Brahimi (Grenade), Hassan Yebda (Udinese), Nabil Bentaleb (Tottenham), Riyad
Mahrez (Leicester)
Forwards: Islam Slimani (Sporting Portugal), Hilal Soudani
(Dinamo Zagreb), Nabil Ghilas (FC Porto)
Key players
Madjid Bougherra is a key figure at the back, and he scored the
all-important winner in the second leg against Burkina Faso. Sofiane Feghouli
is an exciting attacking midfielder, while Medhi Lacen holds things down in
front of the defence. Islam Slimani emerged as the most prolific option in
attack during qualifying.
The Coach: Vahid Halihodzic
Yugoslavian-born Vahid Halihodzic, like so many national team managers of
today, is a much-travelled man. Before taking over the reins of the Algeria
national team in July 2011, Halihodzic had short spells with a number of teams,
both club and country, although none ending particularly successfully. The
61-year old possesses just two trophies to his name; the Coupe de France, won
during his second spell with Paris-Saint Germain in 2004, and the African
Champions League back in 1997 with Raja Casablanca. Halihodzic’s only previous
stint in international soccer was with Ivory Coast, who fired him four months
after the country’s African Cup of Nations quarter-final defeat to Algeria in
2010. Outside of the game, Halihodzic suffered serious injuries after being
shot during conflict in Bosnia in 1992, an incident which impacted his decision
to leave the country and move to France in 1993. He has not returned to Bosnia
in a sporting capacity since.
Prediction: Group
Stage
Algeria’s previous World Cup pedigree offers little hope that the North
Africans will be able to climb out of a strong group, albeit with no obvious
group winners. Their squad is inexperienced and their manager has never been to
a World Cup. However, the advantage for Algeria is they don’t have to play any
tournament favourites, with Belgium, ranked 11th by FIFA, the toughest
challenge. This, though, is set to be another tournament that passes Algeria
by.
Quik Facts:
Fifa Ranking: 25th
Best World Cup Result: Group Stage (1982, 1986, 2010)
Best African Cup of Nations Result: Winners (1990)
Record Scorer: Abdelhafid Tasfaout (35)
Most Capped Player: Lakhdar Belloumi (101)
Captain: Madjid Bougherra
Group Matches:
Tuesday June 17 2014 v Belgium (Belo Horizonte)
Sunday June 22, 2014 v South Korea (Porto Alegre)
Thursday June 26, 2014 v Russia (Curitiba)
South Korea
A shaky yet ultimately successful qualifying campaign led South Korea to an
eighth straight World Cup appearance, but also culminated in the resignation of
their much-maligned manager Choi Kang-Hee. Former player Hong Myung-Bo has
since been given the reigns and will lead his side to Brazil hoping to
replicate their famous 2002 run to the semi finals, in which he played a
starring role at the heart of the defence. He will likely have his work cut out
though, after ‘The Reds’’ largely unimpressive journey to Brazil, scraping
through their group only on goal difference past a distinctly average
Uzbekistan side.
A majority of the squad ply their trade in their homeland,
but Korea also boast several talents scattered across some of Europe’s top
leagues. Ki Sung-Yeung has made a name in England, first with Swansea and then
Sunderland, and captain Lee Chung-Yong is arguably a far better player than his
current Championship level with Bolton Wanderers. Arsenal fans will find it
difficult to believe that Park Chu-Young was Korea’s top scorer in qualifying
after his largely anonymous career in North London, and he will look to fire Korea
into the knockout stages alongside bright prospect Son Heung-Min.
How they qualified
Before finally securing their eighth consecutive FIFA World Cup
qualification, Korea Republic had twice seen their campaign in significant
peril. Unlike Japan, who counted on the same starting XI and Australia, who
used their core of experienced players throughout qualification, a proven and
reliable starting line-up was elusive for Korea Republic throughout the
qualifying competition. With the squad changing constantly, an unprepared
Taeguk Warrior side were stunned 2-1 by Lebanon in the third round’s
penultimate match, which left their hopes hanging by a thread. The defeat cost
Cho Kwangrae his job but under new boss Choi Kanghee, Korea Republic dispatched
Kuwait 2-0 to progress at the West Asian’s expense. The next round continued
nearly in the same vein, with Choi’s side floundering with draws against
Uzbekistan and Lebanon and a defeat to Iran. A 1-0 home win against Uzbekistan
in the penultimate game saw their fortunes revived, but after losing the
closing game to Iran by the identical scoreline, they had to wait until
Uzbekistan’s 5-1 defeat of Qatar to confirm their direct qualification by
edging the central Asians on goal difference.
World Cup history
Despite being Asia’s most frequent visitors to world football’s showpiece
event, Korea Republic had never won a match at the finals until they co-hosted
Korea/Japan 2002. They got off to a winning start with victory over Poland
before defeating Portugal to reach the second round for the first time. The
Taeguk Warriors went on to reach the semi-finals at the expense of Italy and
Spain, only to lose to Germany in the last four. In 2010, they made history
again by reaching the knockout stage for the first time on foreign soil, before
going down at the hands of Uruguay in the Round of 16.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Jung Sung-ryong (Suwon Bluewings), Kim Seung-gyu (Ulsan
Hyundai), Lee Bum-young (Busan I’Park)
Defenders: Hong Jeong-ho (Augsburg), Hwang Seo-ho (Sanfrecce
Hiroshima), Kim Chang-soo (Kashiwa Reysol), Kim Young-gwon (Guangzhou
Evergrande), Kwak Tae-hwi (Al Hilal), Lee Yong (Ulsan Hyundai), Yun Suk-young
(QPR), Park Joo-ho (Mainz)
Midfielders: Ha Dae-sung (Beijing Guoan), Han Kook-young
(Kashiwa Reysol), Ji Dong-won (Augsburg), Ki Sung-yueng (Swansea), Kim Bo-kyung
(Cardiff City), Lee Chung-yong (Bolton), Park Jong-woo (Guangzhou R&F), Son
Heung-min (Bayer Leverkusen).
Forwards: Kim Shin-wook (Ulsan Hyundai), Koo Ja-cheol
(Mainz), Lee Keun-ho (Sangju Sangmu), Park Chu-young (Arsenal)
Key players
The squad’s make-up kept changing during the qualifying and under new coach
Hong Myungbo, a new-look team has taken shape. A series of emerging stars,
notably German-based Son Heungmin and Koo Jacheol, have graduated into the team’s
backbone force. Bolton Wanderers’ Lee Chungyong is the new man wearing the
captain’s armband and home-based Kim Shinwook and Lee Keunho are proven
goal-scorers.
The Coach: Hong
Myung-Bo
Known as the ‘Korean Libero’ during his playing days, Myung-Bo took charge
of his country back in June 2013. He has plenty of big tournament experience,
as a player during Korea’s run to the 2002 semis, as assistant to Dick Advocaat
for the next World Cup and then leading Korea to the bronze medal at the 2012
Olympics.
Prediction:Group
stage
Tournament dark horses Belgium will be expected by many to top this group,
with world-class talents such as Eden Hazard making them favourites. On the
other end of the scale, Algeria look the weakest side by far, leaving the South
Koreans to battle it out with Russia for second.
Quik Facts:
Fifa Ranking: 55th
Best World Cup Result: 4th place (2002)
Best Asian Cup Result: Winners (1956 & 1960)
Record Scorer: Cha Bum-Kun (55)
Most Capped Player: Hong Myung-Bo (136)
Captain: Lee Chung-Yong
Group Matches:
Tuesday 17 June v Russia (Cuiaba)
Sunday 22 June v Algeria (Porto Alegre)
Thursday 26 June v Belgium (Sao Paulo)