Belgium concluded the group stage with a 1-0 victory over South Korea this evening in Sao Paulo.

Jan Vertonghen scored the only goal of the game after 76 minutes to ensure that his side topped Group H, although the win was marred by a red card to Steven Defour as the first half came to an end.

Here, Sports Mole rates and slates the players involved in the action.

Goal

Kim Seung-Gyu: Picked in place of Jung Sung-Ryong, the 23 year-old chose to punch rather than catch on a number of occasions. Won't be happy with his parry which led to the only goal of the game. (5/10)

Defence

Yun Suk-Young: Lacked quality in his delivery when he got into good positions offensively. Struggled to contain Belgium attacks when Anthony Vanden Borre pressed down the right. (5/10)

Kim Young-Gwon: Looked comfortable with most Belgian attacks until the introduction of Divock Origi, which made him sit deeper and question his positioning. (5/10)

Lee Young: The better of the two Korean full-backs tonight, both in advanced and in defensive positions. Contained Vertonghen quite well down the Belgian left and cannot be blamed for the goal. (6/10)

Hong Jeong-Ho: Made an excellent and important tackle on Origi late on, and was easily the pick of the Asian defenders. He took a knock just after half-time but it didn't stop him from continuing and playing well. (6/10)

Midfield

Son Heung-Min: His worst game of the tournament so far, Son was hauled off with 20 minutes remaining even though the team needed a goal or two. Failed to make an impact, struggling for space against a staunch Belgian defence. (5/10)

Koo Ja-Cheoi: Showed neat distribution in the middle, but lacked the penetrative intent which might've seen them break the deadlock. (5/10)

Han Kook-Young: Sacrificed at half time as Hong Myung-Bo looked to win the game by introducing another forward. Had an uninspiring 45 minutes. (5/10)

Ki Sung-Yueng: Looked most likely to score for the Korean team tonight, with one shot from distance in particular troubling Thibaut Courtois. (7/10)

Lee Chung-Yong: Made some poor decisions around the box, either with his passing or when choosing to go down instead of staying on his feet. For the third game in succession, he was quite disappointing. (5/10)

Attack

Kim Shin-Wook: Handed a start after an impressive performance as a substitute against Algeria, the 6'5" striker failed to make any impact on the match. (5/10)

Substitutes

Lee Keun-Ho: On at half time as South Korea looked to open the scoring, the forward offered little in the way of a goalscoring threat, despite one neat flick which Courtois dealt with. (5/10)

Kim Bo-Kyung: Spent a frustrating 25 minutes out on the Korean wing, the Cardiff City man struggled to get involved in the game. (5/10)

Ji Dong-Won: Replaced the ineffective Kim Shin-Wook with under 20 minutes remaining. Had one half-chance to feed the ball into a dangerous position but wasted it. (5/10)

Goal

Thibaut Courtois: Rarely properly tested by a poor Korean attacking unit, the Chelsea stopper was solid enough as he kept his unbeaten international record intact. (6/10)

Defence

Anthony Vanden Borre: Excellent when attacking the Koreans down the left, the 26 year-old was unlucky not to win a penalty during the opening period. A very capable understudy to Toby Alderweireld. (8/10)

Daniel van Buyten: Very strong aerially, despite the presence of Kim Shin-Wook up front for the Asian side. Showed good composure with the ball at his feet. (6/10)

Nicolas Lombaerts: Comfortable alongside Van Buyten at the heart of defence, the Zenit man looked assured both with and without the ball. (6/10)

Jan Vertonghen: Had three woefully inaccurate long-range efforts before scoring the winner with 15 minutes to go. Looked a little suspect at left-back - not his best position - but good enough against this opposition. (6/10)

Midfield

Steven Defour: Stupidly sent off for a two-footed lunge on Kim Shin-Wook just before halftime, probably ending his World Cup. An idiotic moment having performed well up to that point. (4/10)

Moussa Dembele: Guilty of giving the ball away in midfield often in the first half, the Spurs man improved after half time alongside Fellaini. Booked for dissent when he kicked the ball away. (5/10)

Marouane Fellaini: Had to drop back following the sending-off of Defour, but still drove forward well when possible and had a hand in the goal. (7/10)

Adnan Januzaj: Disappointing display from the usually exciting 19-year-old, the Manchester United man failed to get involved despite Vanden Borre finding joy down the right. Still got lots to learn at this level. (5/10)

Dries Mertens: Wasted the best chance of the first half, Mertens was often guilty of choosing to shoot when teammates were better placed. Probably best as an impact sub. (6/10)

Attack

Kevin Mirallas: Cut a lonely figure at times in attack, with his midfield failing to support him or feed him balls to run on to. Delivered one superb, dangerous cross which flew across the six-yard box, nobody having read it. (5/10)

Substitutes

Divock Origi: Brought on for Mertens, and eventually his shot led to the goal. Having looked lively in possession and showing neat footwork, it would be a surprise to see Romelu Lukaku above him in the pecking order against USA. (7/10)

Nacer Chadli: Did more in 30 minutes than Januzaj did in 60, the Spurs winger cut in from the left nicely more than once, testing Kim with one powerful effort. (6/10)

Eden Hazard: Had four minutes to show his ability and did so, forcing Kim into a great one-handed stop to keep the score at 1-0. (6/10)

Written by
Joe McPhee