Hazard cameo helps push Belgium to comeback victory

Thibaut Courtois started and played the full 90 minutes while his Real Madrid teammate and compatriot, Eden Hazard, made another cameo off the bench. After falling behind 1-0 in the early moments of the match, Belgium staged a comeback to secure all 3 points and sit a top of group B.

Denmark produced an onslaught upon Thibaut Courtois goal in the first half. The Danes pressed high and unsettled the Belgian backline. Their high octane football was effective and forced Courtois into four saves — three of which came inside the box.

There was an injury scare for the big keeper when he collided with Simon Kjaer in the late stages of the 2nd half. The two knocked knees when battling for a 50/50 and Courtois appeared to come off the worse of the two. Fortunately, the keeper was able to continue and there was no serious injury.

Real Madrid fans interest truly peaked when Hazard entered the match in the 60th minute. Roberto Martinez has gradually been building up his fitness levels. The Belgium captain had 10 minutes vs Croatia, 20 minutes vs Russia, and today features for 30 minutes vs Denmark.

With the Red Devils tied 1-1, Hazard had to make an impact. The #10 was involved throughout and made quick use of his innate talent right from the start of his introduction. He took the ball from one foot to the other, not once but twice, to glide past two Danish opponents. He was later involved in the go-ahead goal. Belgium played some vintage one and two touch passes around the box before Hazard laid the ball off for De Bruyne to strike home.

Belgium have now qualified for the knock out rounds of the tournament. Roberto Martinez may see the match against Finland as a good opportunity to further test Hazard’s fitness levels. The European Championships may turn out to be the best medicine for Hazard’s ailing medical issues. The Belgian could return to Madrid this summer confident with his ability to handle the physical demands of the game.