Belgium beat England 2: 0 in the bronze medal match, bringing their score to 16 goals in this world Cup. This was bad news for electronics giants Krëfel (or rather their British insurers), as thousands of televisions will have to be paid back as part of a bet. It was Eden Hazard’s late goal against the English that did it.
Krëfel had launched a publicity stunt this spring: everyone buying a television (with a 55-inch screen at least) between 26 April and 17 June, would get their money back, on one condition: that the Belgium national football team scored at least 15 goals at the World Cup. There are no exact figures available, but Krëfel is said to have sold “a couple of thousand” (some sources are talking about 5,000) TV’s to which the conditions apply.
Belgium had 14 goals after their 2-1 quarter-final win against Brazil, and then came France, when they lost 1-0 (scoring no goal in a match for the first time this World Cup). However, the game for the bronze against England took their tally to 16 anyway. Krëfel had seen it coming and had taken out an insurance with a…. British insurer. Lucky buyers will not get a refund in cash: they will receive vouchers worth the full amount of their new TV with which they can buy stuff in a Krëfel store.