An 88th-minute strike from Divock Origi has earned Belgium a 1-0 victory over Russia at the Maracana.

After a disappointing game where chances were few and far between, Origi fired the ball into the roof of the net from eight yards after Eden Hazard had worked his way to the byline.

The result sees Belgium move through to the second round with a game to spare, but they could have to avoid defeat in their final fixture to make sure of first place in Group H.

Below, Sports Mole assesses whether Belgium were deserving of the three points.

Match statistics

Belgium
Shots: 12
On target: 2
Possession: 51%
Corners: 5
Fouls: 14

Russia
Shots: 12
On target: 3
Possession: 49%
Corners: 8
Fouls: 9

Was the result fair?

Defeat was slightly harsh on Russia, but they can have no complaints after failing to capitalise on a poor display from Belgium. Both teams created the same amount of opportunities and shared a similar amount of possession, but it was Belgium's superior quality in the final third that made the difference in this match.

Belgium's performance

While Marc Wilmots will be delighted that his team managed to record their second successive victory, he won't be impressed with the manner of their display at the Maracana. They were comfortable in defence for large parts of the game, but they lacked urgency in attacking areas and if it wasn't for Kevin de Bruyne and Dries Mertens, they would have posed no threat going forward.

The biggest positive for Wilmots was witnessing Origi net his first international goal, and the 19-year-old seems certain to be drafted in from the start for the match with South Korea.

Russia's performance

Fabio Capello can't have too many complaints with the way that his team played, but he will be disappointed with the chances that they squandered near the end of the first half. No player stood out for Russia, but they went about their business in an efficient way and were minutes away from setting themselves up nicely for the final game against Algeria.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Kevin de Bruyne: Every time that you see De Bruyne play for his country, you can't help but think that Jose Mourinho has made a huge mistake in letting the midfielder leave Stamford Bridge. The 22-year-old pulled the strings for Belgium in the middle of the park, often displaying his speed and range of passing to set his team up for an attack. If Belgium are to make the latter stages, the Wolfsburg man will need to continue to perform like this.

Biggest gaffe

The sitter missed by Aleksandr Kokorin near the end of the first 45 minutes was undoubtedly the biggest gaffe of the match. The Dynamo Moscow frontman only had to direct his header on target from six yards to give his side the lead, but he tried to be too precise and could only send it wide of the right-hand post.

Referee performance

Dr Felix Brych delivered a solid performance at the Maracana. He could have potentially awarded a penalty to Russia in the first half, but apart from that, he got the majority of his decisions correct and can be happy with his night's work. He could be in contention to feature in the latter stages of the tournament.

What next?

Belgium: Belgium face South Korea in the final group game on Thursday.

Russia: Russia go up against Algeria in their third fixture on Thursday knowing that only three points will do if they are to have a chance of reaching the knockout stages.

Written by
Darren Plant