World Cup 2018: Belgians demand more goals from their team for free TVs

Belgium have scored nine goals from three games so far in FIFA World Cup 2018 (Reuters Photo)

Belgium forward Dries Mertens has more than one goal in this year's World Cup in Russia.

The Napoli forward has scored one of Belgium's nine goals in the World Cup this year -- which is most by a team in this edition so far. And, he says that his friends are counting on him to take Belgium's tally to 16, so that they can get free television sets.

When asked by reporters at their training camp near Moscow about Belgium's free-scoring run, he joked that a retalier in Belgium have a World Cup promotion offer going, where people, who bought TVs according to that promo, will get their money reimbursed if the Red Devils score more than 15 goals.

"My friends bought the television. So I'm thinking about that. So I want to score a lot of goals to give a free television to my friends," he declared ahead of Belgium's last 16 clash with Japan on Monday.

The Group G leaders will take on the Group H runners up in Rostov after another clean sweep of the group stages for the second time in a row. Four years ago, they went out at the quarterfinal stage but after another strong performance, anything below a semi-final spot will be underachieveing.

Belgium averaged three goals per game, and looked flashy even when playing mostly reserves against England in winning the last group game.

On the other hand, Japan only just squeezed through, taking a route no team has ever taken out of a World Cup group. Japan and Senegal finished with four points each, had the same goal differential, scored the same number of goals and even drew 2-2, sending it to a tiebreaker being used at the World Cup for the first time: disciplinary record.

With Romelu Lukaku retutning and other Belgian starts all fit after sitting out their last group game against the Three Lions, they will be fresh and raring to go and the Blue Samurais will have their work cut out in trying to stop Mertens and Co. from scoring more goals.

But, this free television offer is not the only special thing that is running during the World Cup.