Belgium Beat England To Top Group H

England will face Colombia in the World Cup last 16 after a defeat by Belgium meant they finished second in Group H.

Adnan Januzaj scored the winner with a brilliantly curled effort in the second half, with both sides fielding much-changed XIs from their previous games.

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Ruben Loftus-Cheek miscued a free header for England and Marcus Rashford had a shot tipped wide by Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.

Belgium finished top and will face Japan in the knockout stage.

Red Devils boss Roberto Martinez had said before the game “the priority was not to win” but his team carved out the better chances.

Youri Tielemans tested Jordan Pickford with a dipping drive from long range and Chelsea striker Michy Batshuayi had a close-range effort cleared off the line by Gary Cahill.

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Manchester United forward Rashford, one of the players to come on for England, missed a number of good chances, striking a free-kick over and curling wide in the second period.

England play Colombia in Moscow on Tuesday at 19:00 BST, while Belgium face Japan in Rostov-on-Don on Monday, also at 19:00.

BBC

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