Goals: Belgium—Fellaini 70' Mertins 80'; Algeria—Feghouli 25' (penalty)
Recap: The start to Belgium's 2014 World Cup campaign didn't go according to plan, but the team still managed to capture a 2-1 victory over Algeria on Tuesday.
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Algeria was awarded a stonewall penalty in the first half after Belgium's Jan Vertonghen sloppily clutched the arm of Sofiane Feghouli inside the area. Vertonghen was cautioned. Feghouli calmly delivered his nation a 1-0 lead. Despite creating far more chances than the opposition (8-1), Belgium entered the half facing a deficit.
It wouldn't last. Marouane Fellaini responded following the break, polishing off a sublime header in the 70th minute. Dries Mertens delivered the winner just 10 minutes later.
Key Moment: Down 1-0, Belgium head coach Marc Wilmots turned to his bench. A like-for-like substitution for Romelu Lukaku saw immediate benefits. Lukaku went 58 minutes without a single touch in Algeria's half. Divock Origi eclipsed his lack of productivity in just eight minutes, nearly equalizing the affair. Wilmots' inclusion of Fellaini and Mertens ultimately decided the match, with both contributing to the score sheet.
Man of the Match: He's been harshly criticized for his poor run of form at Manchester United, but Marouane Fellaini showed he's every bit the footballer David Moyes knew him to be. The 26-year-old made the most of his 19 touches, winning 67 percent of his aerial duels and adding two tackles to his equalizing header.
Lesson Learned: Belgium's roster is as talented as they come, but the team's much-maligned inexperience showed against Algeria. For 70 minutes, costly mistakes like Vertonghen's foul and a blasé approach to shots outside the area forced a 1-0 deficit. If not for Wilmots' tactical substitutions, said mistakes would've forced a 1-0 defeat. Today's result will serve as a lesson. Hopefully, one the team can turn to as they look to reach their potential.
Up Next: Belgium travels to Rio de Janeiro to face Russia on June 22, while Algeria visits Porto Alegre to meet with South Korea.
Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (via WhoScored).
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