World Cup 2018: England v Belgium was strange - but there was one standout moment

  • Published
Michy Batshuayi and Kevin de BruyneImage source, Getty Images
Image caption,

"Talk me through that celebration again, Michy"

Wait, was that the plan all along?

Or were England back to their more "traditional" World Cup form?

Both the Three Lions and Belgian Red Devils had already qualified for the knockout stages of the World Cup when they faced each other in Kaliningrad on Thursday - so they were playing for first and second in the group.

With the general consensus being that the potential "route to the final" was arguably "easier" for the second-placed team, people seemed to be asking if that was all England were aimed for.

TwitterImage source, Twitter

People on Twitter had NO idea how to react when Adnan Januzaj scored his first international goal for Belgium...

TwitterImage source, Twitter
TwitterImage source, Twitter

And then, England's Marcus Rashford had a chance on goal but it didn't quite go his way.

TwitterImage source, Twitter

Some, (namely non-rights-holding-broadcasters... ahem), thought the match lacked the drama and intensity the tournament had seen so far.

TwitterImage source, Twitter

If we wanted paint drying, we would have tuned into Hollyoaks guys...

It's cool - style it out...

Ok, if we are honest, the game, which Belgium won 1-0, wasn't a cracker.

All we can say is thank goodness for Michy Batshuayi.

The Belgium striker gave us one of the highlights of the tournament so far when his celebratory punt rebounded off the post, square into his face.

Watch and enjoy...

Media caption,

Watch: Batshuayi hits ball into own face

After the full-time whistle, the Chelsea forward tweeted, saying the hundreds of notifications on his phone told him he had not got away with it.

His response potentially threw shade at England's Jesse Lingard, who is well known for his creative celebrations.

TwitterImage source, Twitter

Trust us, the slow-mo replay made it even better and the hilarious moment became an instant meme...

TwitterImage source, Twitter
TwitterImage source, Twitter

The word "Batshuayi" even became a verb...

BatshuayiImage source, Twitter

Just to be clear, he's fine....

TwitterImage source, Twitter