Tensions are said to be rising in the Belgium squad at the World Cup as qualification for the round of 16 looks increasingly unlikely. The Red Devils head into the final group stage clash needing a win against Croatia to guarantee a place in the knockout stages.
If Roberto Martinez's side, who are branded the nation's 'the golden generation', can only clinch a draw on Thursday, December 1, then Belgium will need Canada to beat Morocco by a four goal differential. World Cup tiebreaker rule states that if two or more teams are level on points - in this case potentially Belgium and Morocco - they will be separated in the following order.
First, overall group goal difference will be taken into account. If Belgium draw and Canada win by a four goal differential then the Red Devils will qualify for the knockout stages on a minus one goal difference and Morocco will finish third on a minus two goal difference.
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If Canada manage to beat Morocco by a three goal differential and the two sides are tied on points and overall goal difference then qualification will be decided by overall group goals scored. In which case, as it stands, Morocco would qualify unless Belgium enjoy a high-scoring draw with Croatia.
Against all the odds, if Belgium and Morocco can still not be separated then qualification will be decided by head-to-head result, meaning the latter would qualify. With the Red Devils underperforming and pressure at an all-time high, the tensions seem to have boiled over.
According to the European outlet RTL Sport, Romelu Lukaku has to separate Kevin De Bruyne, Jan Vertonghen and Eden Hazard after Belgium's surprise defeat to Morocco. The report states that the on-loan Inter Milan striker played peacemaker as the Red Devils trio 'pushed and shoved in the changing room'.
It's said that De Bruyne and Vertonghen were also seen arguing on the pitch before heading down the tunnel after full-time. The altercation may have stemmed from the Manchester City star's comments earlier in the week, claiming that Belgium had no chance of winning the tournament.
"No chance, we’re too old," De Bruyne said. "I think our chance was 2018. We have a good team, but it is ageing.
"We lost some key players. We have some good new players coming, but they are not at the level other players were in 2018. I see us more as outsiders."
In an indirect response to his teammate after the Morocco clash, the 34-year-old former Tottenham defender said: "We probably also attack badly because we are too old, that must be it now, surely? We have a lot of quality up front, but so does Morocco, and they came out better. This is very frustrating."
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