The Amynz Sports

Without penalties, here are the top scorers in the history of FIFA World Cup. ⬆️⚽

Golden generations don’t expire. They implode. And Belgium’s implosion is happening live, in real time, on the world’s biggest stage.

This is the same Belgium that spent 2018 finishing third in the World Cup, the same golden generation that had the world convinced for a decade that their moment was coming. De Bruyne. Lukaku. Courtois. The most complete squad in European football, they said.

They haven’t scored in 53 consecutive shots at this World Cup. Fifty-three. Their only goal in this tournament so far came from an Egyptian own goal. Belgium have not put the ball in the net themselves.

The red card didn’t help. But Iran had the better chances before it. Mehdi Taremi had a legitimate goal ruled out by VAR. Iran’s goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand made seven saves. Seven. Against a team with De Bruyne pulling the strings and Lukaku on the pitch.

Belgium are now at serious risk of group stage elimination for the second World Cup in a row. This is not a tactical problem. This is a finishing problem. This is a hunger problem. This is an age problem that nobody in Belgian football wanted to admit.

Is this Belgium’s last stand as a football superpower or is Rudi Garcia just the wrong manager at the wrong time?