When Belgium take on Brazil in the Kazan Arena on Friday night, it could be a busy 90 minutes for Fagner, the Brazilian right-back. Perhaps unintentionally, Romelu Lukaku, the powerhouse Belgium centre-forward, made it quite clear that the Corinthians defender had been singled out by Roberto Martinez’s coaching team as the weak link in the Brazilian set-up.
“Defensively, they can be taken,” said the Manchester United striker, when asked if the competition favourites had any exploitable weakness. “Three of their back four are really experienced defenders. But we have trained how to take them.”
It was a confident declaration from Lukaku, the one player at the competition who does not need the simultaneous translation service, answering press questions in English, French, Dutch and Portuguese. Especially since, together with Uruguay, Brazil have the best defensive record at this competition, a solid, rather un-Brazil-like platform from which their creative forwards can build.
But Lukaku believed the plan that had been put into effect since Belgium squeezed past Japan would come to fruition. And were it to do so, it would represent a hugely significant moment for a bunch of players who have yet to convert their collective potential into silverware.
“I’m not saying it’s the most important game we’ve ever played, because if we win, the match after that will be even more important,” he said. “But it is a benchmark. And I believe we have enough quality to make the difference.”
