Belgium vs Japan: Roberto Martinez refuses to look ahead to potential World Cup quarter-final with Brazil

If Belgium reach the final at the Luzhniki Stadium in just under a fortnight’s time, their place there will be well deserved

Roberto Martinez did not want to be in this position, but Belgium’s head coach entered a losing contest with the England national football team and came out second best. His consolation prize for winning three group games out of three? A round of 16 meeting with Japan, the World Cup 2018’s lowest-ranked team remaining outside of the hosts.

There are worse positions to be in at this stage of the tournament but in a way, this is still an awkward one for Martinez. Having declared that beating England in Kaliningrad was “not a priority”, Belgium did just that, winning Group G and thereby planting themselves in the ‘difficult’ half of the draw – the half Martinez hoped to avoid.

Assuming Belgium can overcome Japan, tournament favourites Brazil are their likely opponents in the quarter-final. Either a solid and effective Uruguay or an ultra-talented France would then await in the last four. If Belgium reach the final at the Luzhniki Stadium in just under a fortnight’s time, their place there will be well deserved.

Whether much attention should be paid to permutations is a matter for debate – as many in England learned this week – but Martinez’s opinion on the matter was always clear.

He was aware this could be the case before Kaliningrad and made no secret of his preference. His remarks to the contrary after the win – claiming to be “delighted” with topping the group – sounded slightly disingenuous given what had been said before. Spain’s elimination has since fully opened up the supposedly ‘easier’ side.

Roberto Martinez oversees Belgium training (Reuters)

There was a sign on Sunday, though, that Martinez had learnt his lesson. At his pre-match press conference, he chose not to look too far ahead again. Belgium should beat Akira Nishino’s limited Japan handily in Rostov on Monday night, but Martinez is staying grounded and taking nothing for granted.

“They are footballers with an incredible energy and a great capacity to get really high up the pitch very quickly,” he said of Japan, who only finished as Group H’s runners-up thanks to a better disciplinary record than Senegal.

Japan went through in unusual circumstances (Getty)

“This Japan team shows a lot of good experience, a lot of players who have played in big leagues in Europe for a long time. They know what it takes to win a game of this calibre. This is a group of players that know what they are doing. I expect a very difficult game.”

Having selected a second-string side against England, Martinez will return to the key protagonists of Belgium’s ‘golden generation’ on Monday. Romelu Lukaku has fully recovered from an ankle injury and Vincent Kompany, one of the squad’s elder statesman, is fit again and all the better for a 16-minute cameo in Kaliningrad.

“The group is in a very good moment,” Martinez said. “Mentally and physically, you just get the feeling the players are desperate to be on the pitch. I feel the players are ready to get their rhythm as quick as they can.”

Eden Hazard will be crucial to Belgium's chances (AP)

Eden Hazard will be key to Belgium should they progress far through this tournament but he, like his manager, is not considering any game beyond the meeting with Japan, despite the last-eight prospect of Brazil.

“We will take this match as seriously as possible,” he said. “What is important is to progress and to reach the quarter-finals. We need to be very serious and focused right from the beginning of the game.

“All we are doing is thinking of tomorrow’s game. We have top players, we play as a group, and it is in our hands,” Hazard added. “We just need to play together and give everything.”