Belgium marched into the last eight of Euro 2020 after Thorgan Hazard’s first-half goal knocked out defending champions Portugal and kept the world’s top ranked nation in the hunt.
Belgium crept into the European Championship quarter-finals.
The Manchester City midfielder was forced off three minutes into the second half after sustaining an injury shortly before half-time and, while he proved the most willing of cheerleaders from the sidelines as Portugal were just about kept at bay, whether it is a role he is now reduced to for the remainder of this tournament remains to be seen. Italy will certainly hope De Bruyne is missing for their quarter-final in Munich on Friday.
Cristiano Ronaldo and holders Portugal’s Euros are most certainly over, though. They looked the more likely scorers in a second half, with a tense game finally coming to life in the closing stages, but could ultimately find no reply to Thorgan Hazard’s 42nd-minute goal.
It was not the defence of their European title they would have hoped for and Ronaldo must wait a little longer for the goal that would make him the outright all time leading scorer in men’s international football.
Any De Bruyne absence would heighten the pressure on Eden Hazard to find his stride again, although he still looked well short of his best, not to mention full fitness here, and was taken off late on after taking a knock. Indeed, he was overshadowed on the night by his brother.
