Those who were hoping for what could have been remembered as a classicΒ World CupΒ match between England and Belgium on Thursday were left quite disappointed, especially after seeing the lineups.
With both sides winning their first two group stage matches and qualifying for the knockout round, the only thing left to decide was who placed first and second. That resulted in Gareth Southgate and Roberto Martinez making a record combined total of 17 changes to their starting lineup.
In the end, the Red Devils topped the group with a 1-0 win, thanks to Adnan Januzaj's sublime effort, but you'd imagine it being a better match if the likes of Eden Hazard,Β Romelu LukakuΒ andΒ Harry KaneΒ were allowed to be on the pitch.
Well, Lukaku was carrying a minor injury, so him sitting out was totally understandable, yet it could have been one for the ages had the managers kept their lineups similar to the ones from their two previous matches.
Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas was among those disappointed, and the Spaniard tweeted his annoyance, announcing that he'd be going out to dinner instead of staying home to watch what he had expected to be an entertaining football match.
I was so looking forward to this ο΄gbeng vs ο§οͺ game. Not really anymore... They obviously donβt care to be 1st or 2nd. Going out for dinner instead ο½
β Cesc FΓ bregas Soler (@cesc4official) June 28, 2018
"I was so looking forward to this [England] vs [Belgium] game. Not really anymore... They obviously donβt care to be 1st or 2nd. Going out for dinner instead," he tweeted - and who could blame him?
Fortunately for Fabregas, and all of us really, things are only just hotting up in the tournament, with plenty of exciting round of 16 matchups on the way.