Belgium-Turkey: Player Ratings

That was a punch to the gut. After Belgium got off to a great start, scoring a goal in the third minute, they looked well on their way to victory. But Turkey came back into the match, and scored a vital equalizer. The rest of the match was mostly dominated by Belgium, with Axel Witsel missing a second half penalty. But 1-1 remained the scoreline to the end. This gives Turkey a big advantage. With a game in hand over Belgium, and a superior head-to-head record, the now most likely way Belgium will get second spot in the group is if Turkey drops points to either Germany at home or Austria away. Belgium will then need to win in Germany on the last day of qualifying. It's a daunting task, not insurmountable, but difficult to the extreme. To be blunt, the Rode Duivels' fate is no longer in their own hands. On to the ratings.

Simon Mignolet, 6: Hard to give a rating to a player whose only real contact with the ball came when picking it out of the net. Very few keepers would have saved that goal, and if they did, it would have been sheer luck. His distribution was fine, but not spectacular.

Toby Alderweireld, 6: Not really his position, but Alderweireld looked alright as a right-back. Kept Arda under wraps for most of the game (when Arda showed up on the right that is). His forward play wasn't great, but he served in a few good balls into the box (especially on corners). Needs to stay wider, however, when going forward.

Vincent Kompany, 7.5: Dominant, didn't give Kazim a sniff (had one fanatastic block on him though). He did everything he needed to do, and when the time came for attacking, he did it with verve. The true captain of this squad and without a doubt my man of the match. At the end of the match, he told reporters Belgium would go to Germany and beat them, and said with unbelievable conviction. If only we had 9 more of him.

Nicholas Lombaerts, 5.5: Didn't respond quick enough to the first goal. Great player for Zenit, but a little shaky for Belgium. Still, kept calm for most of the match, and otherwise unremarkable.

Jan Vertonghen, 4.5: Simply put, he's out of position at left-back. This can be masked against worse teams like Azerbaijan, but here he didn't look comfortable, especially when Arda showed up on the left. Had two good chances to score on set pieces, but missed both. Presumably, he'll make a big money transfer this summer and it will sway Leekens to play him as a centre-back beside Kompany.

Steven Defour, 5: Not nearly up to his usual standards. He looked out his depth at times. He put in a lot of effort, but it was all so laboured. Didn't see him much going forward either and his incisive passing was absent today. It's becoming clearer by the day that he needs to move to a bigger league to avoid stagnating.

Timmy Simons, 5.5: An okay outing defensively, but his presence in a three man midfield causes problems when it comes to creativity. When he got the ball, there were opportunities to find one of the flank players, but he seemed only able to pass it nearest player to him. He tried mightily to stop the Turks possession in the midfield, but not much he could do. A more dynamic player is needed in his position, and that player was injured for this game (hint: he has a big afro and his names Fellaini).

Axel Witsel, 6: It's hard to rate Witsel, because even though he showed a lot of grittiness and aerial strength, the final ball didn't seem to be there today. He's dominant in the league, but like Defour, he needs a new challenge to improve his game. You could also tell the nerves got to him on the penalty, but that can happen to anyone.

Nacer Chadli, 4.5: Poor outing, after the 10th minute, he disappeared. Nothing worked (besides his nodded ball to Ogunjimi for the first goal). If he stayed on his feet while defending Arda, the Turkish goal could have been prevented. Still, he worked hard and Leekens should have known that he wasn't in great form at the end of the season with Twente. Chadli needs that summer break more than anyone right now.

Eden Hazard, 5: An mediocre outing for any winger, this was a terrible game for a player of Hazard's calibre. He just didn't look in sync with the team. He gave a couple good passes and had a nice action to end his match, but I can't really blame Leekens for subbing him out for Mertens (though Chadli was playing worse . His storming off into the tunnel was unneccessary aswell. This was a big game and he should have put the team mentality ahead of his own ego.

Marvin Ogunjimi, 5.5: He scored a goal and then chased the Turks around for the rest of the match. He didn't look comfortable matching up against the big Turkish defenders. I said before, I thought the match called for a striker who was more oriented to coming back into the midfield and picking up the ball. Ogunjimi wasn't that striker. But again, it wasn't due to lack of effort.

Thomas Vermaelen, 6: While he didn't bring much attacking, Vermaelen looked a great deal more comfortable defensively at the left-back position than Vertonghen. A decent substition by Leekens. Vermaelen may have just staked his claim to the left back spot (not that he really wants it).

Dries Mertens, 7: Great energy by the little man who subbed out the other little man. He won a penalty and provided some creativity going forward. Scorched the hands of Demirel with one shot. This definately won him some points in the eyes of everybody, including the coaching staff.

Jelle Vossen, N/A: Came on too late to give a mark.

All in all, it was a disappointing day for Belgian football, and it deflated some of the hype surrounding the team (which may not be a bad thing). It's positive to note that Belgium never looked overly dejected in this match. They were the better team and got quite unlucky, what with the one shot on their goal ending up on the scoresheet. Things look bleak right now, with regards to qualifying, but it ain't over 'til it's over. I suspect that on October 11 in Dusseldorf, the Rode Duivels will probably have more to play for than just their pride.
Until the next match!