Aston Villa midfielder Youri Tielemans produced an impressive display for Belgium despite mixed reactions from the national media following their World Cup draw against Egypt on Monday night.
The 29-year-old started Belgium’s opening group-stage match at Seattle’s Lumen Field and gradually became one of the team’s standout performers after a difficult opening spell.
Egypt stunned the Red Devils early when Emam Ashour fired home a brilliant long-range strike, leaving Rudi Garcia’s side chasing the game for much of the evening. Belgium eventually found an equaliser in the second half after Romelu Lukaku’s introduction forced an own goal from Mohamed Hany.
While the result was disappointing for Belgium, Tielemans emerged as one of the positives from the performance. The Aston Villa midfielder continued the excellent form he showed under Unai Emery throughout the club season and once again demonstrated his importance in midfield.
Tielemans played the full 90 minutes and completed 36 passes during the contest. He also created three chances, the highest total of any player on the pitch, while adding two shots, one cross and a perfect dribble success rate.
Defensively, the Villa midfielder also impressed. He contributed five defensive actions, four recoveries and won five duels as he worked tirelessly throughout the match.
Despite the statistics painting a positive picture, sections of the Belgian media were far less complimentary in their assessments.
French outlet Maxifoot described his opening stages as “timid” before claiming he improved gradually, awarding him a six out of ten rating. Foot Mercato handed Tielemans a five despite acknowledging he provided “presence” and “stability” in midfield.
Belgian broadcaster RTBF also awarded him a five, insisting they expected “much more” from the Aston Villa star during the remainder of the tournament.
However, the overall numbers suggest Tielemans had a far greater impact than several reports implied, with frustration over Belgium’s draw seemingly influencing parts of the post-match criticism from sections of the national media.
About the Author
