Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukaku led the way by scoring braces as Belgium ran riot against Tunisia at the Spartak Stadium on Saturday.
Belgium romped home to a resounding 5-2 win over Tunisia in their second Group H game of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Moscow.
Hazard got Roberto Martinez’s men up and running early with a sixth minute penalty, before Lukaku netted twice in the first period, on either side of a goal from Dylan Bronn for Tunisia. The Chelsea superstar grabbed his double early into the second half, with substitute Michy Batshuayi also getting in on the act in the dying minutes of the match, before Tunisian captain Wahbi Khazri netted a late consolation in injury time.
The win sees Belgium move to the top of Group H, with second-placed England scheduled to take on Panama on Sunday. In a match that all but guaranteed the Red Devils’ progression to the knockout stages, here we pick out three players who stood out the most at the Spartak Stadium;
Romelu Lukaku
After his exploits against Panama in the opener, the Manchester United main man was once again the star of the show for the Belgians. Lukaku grabbed his second brace of the 2018 FIFA World Cup with two delightful finishes in the first period, putting the game to bed even before the half-time whistle.
With his double, Lukaku joined Cristiano Ronaldo at the top of the Golden Boot race in Russia with four strikes against his name. The 25-year old is also now the highest ever goalscorer for Belgium in major tournaments as he went past Jan Ceulemans’ tally of six goals. Lukaku has started his World Cup campaign in ominous form and it bodes really well for the Belgians.
Eden Hazard
Another usual suspect, Hazard, like Lukaku, continued from where he left off against Panama earlier this week. The stand-in captain was off the blocks quickly and won the penalty early on, before making no mistake from the spot. He could have had his second goal soon after, but failed to turn in a low cross from Lukaku.
Hazard continued to cause plenty of issues for a wobbly-looking Tunisian defence with his blistering pace, movement and trickery, before finding the back of the net for a second time after the restart, firing into an empty net after rounding off the goalkeeper. The 27-year old completed the most dribbles (5) in the game and also played in three key passes – the second-highest tally behind teammate Kevin De Bruyne.
Wahbi Khazri
The only bright spot on a gloomy day for the Tunisian supporters, captain Wahbi Khazri had an impressive outing at the top, despite his team being on the receiving end of a drubbing. The 27-year old attacker set up Bronn’s goal in the first period with a beautifully swerving free-kick.
Khazri then went on to force a nervy save from Thibaut Courtois in the Belgian goal, with a curling effort and was thwarted once more by the Chelsea stopper before half-time. He did seem to fade after he picked up a knock on his ankle in the first half, but still put in the hard yards defensively, completing two tackles and an interception, before going on to score a consolation goal late on in the game guiding the ball into the net, after a neat swivel in the box.
