World Cup 2014 Online Stream, Schedule: Belgium Faces Korea Republic in Final Group H Match; Vincent Kompany Injured
Belgium will try to secure the top spot in Group H of the 2014 FIFA World Cup when they go up against Korea Republic on Thursday at the Arena Corinthians in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Belgium has already earned a spot in the next round after scoring a 2-1 win against Algeria and 1-0 victory against Russia in theb first two assignments.
But while they have already qualified to the knockout stages, Belgium coach Marc Wilmots insisted that they will play to win against South Korea, saying that he learned a lesson during his 1994 World Cup experience as a player.
"We have to win every time. We started calculating in 1994 and it turned into a disaster," Wilmots said.
The 1994 Belgian side won their first two matches, but lost in their final group game after fielding a squad composed of reserves. The loss led to a showdown with Germany, who then defeated the Belgians in the round of 16.
"We won't field our B-team against South Korea. I hate that word anyhow," Wilmots said.
However, the 45-year-old coach will be forced to make changes in his squad for the South Korea match.
Team captain Vincent Kompany and Thomas Vermaelen will not play on Thursday. Vermaelen was taken out early in their showdown against Russia on Sunday, while Kompany sustained a groin injury, but Wilmots clarify that both are just minor injuries.
"Everything had gone smoothly over the last month but we have two minor injuries," Wilmots said via EuroSport. "They are not very serious but we want to keep them fresh and they won't play against South Korea."
On the other hand, South Korea will fight for survival and will rely once again on Son Heung-Min, who is the biggest star in the South Korean side.
South Korea, who opened their campaign with a 1-1 draw against Russia that was followed by a 4-2 loss to Algeria, needs a win to have at least a chance of getting into the next round depending on the result of Algeria-Russia match.
The Belgium-South Korea fixture is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. EST. It will be shown on ESPN and through online streaming via WatchESPN.
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