Why Belgium win over Brazil was career highlight for Hazard

Eden Hazard has labelled Belgium’s World Cup quarter-final win over Brazil as the highlight of his career as he prepares to make his 100th Red Devils appearance. Ahead of the Chelsea winger’s 100th international appearance for the Red Devils, he has looked back at his finest matches with his country.

The Chelsea winger will bring up a century of international outings if he appears for Roberto Martinez’s men against Cyprus at the GSP Stadium in Nicosia . Since making his debut in November 2009, he has scored 29 goals and contributed 26 assists across a 10-year Belgium career.

But his crowning moment came in Kazan last July when he played his part in a 2-1 win over five-time world champions. Fernandinho’s own goal and Kevin de Bruyne’s bullet strike gave Belgium the lead before Renato Augusto pulled one back to spark a grandstand finale.

But Tite’s men were unable to complete their comeback as Belgium set up a semi-final meeting with France.  Hazard – who has two Premier League title successes to his name – said: “This victory against Brazil was my best game in the individual aspect as well as the collective one. I perfectly succeeded in everything I was trying to do. Just like the team.

“We were not seen as the favourites, as Brazil is one of the best nations. We had trouble in the second half and had a bit of luck too. But it’s still the most accomplished thing I have achieved, all teams included. Because of the emotion we’ve provided to the staff and the whole country was extreme.

“We had a lot of critics at the Euros and we weren’t far from an outing against Japan in the World Cup. It would have been seen as a total failure.” Despite reaching the last four, Belgium were toppled by eventual winners France, though did go on to win the third-place playoff against England – with Hazard scoring in a 2-0 success.

The strike was his third of the tournament in Russia, following a brace in the 5-2 thrashing of Panama in the group stage. And that game also figures among the most memorable of Hazard’s international tenure.

“These are my first two goals in the World Cup, we won well and it’s also one of my best games, to start our second participation in this competition, we did not win it, but we finished third,” he added.

“The best result in the history of Belgium. We lost in the semi-finals against France on a corner. I will remember the feeling we left. We were not the best.

But all the testimonials that I receive tell me that the most beautiful team was Belgium, I like to emphasise the pleasure and the memory that we have left.”