Romelu Lukaku and Eden Hazard blasted Belgium to the World Cup last 16 with a group game to spare against Tunisia.
The English Premier League duo shared four goals in a 5-2 Moscow mauling at the Spartak Stadium. It’s a result that leaves Tunisia’s hopes of progression from Group G hanging by a thread.
Roberto Martinez’s side took a leaf out of the book of group rivals England and started with a bang. The intensity of the early minutes left the Carthage Eagles chasing shadows.
One of them belonged to Hazard, who was clipped right on the edge of the box by the desperate Syam Ben Youssef.
It was given as a penalty, confirmed by VAR and the Chelsea star stepped up to slot his side into a sixth-minute lead.
He fluffed his lines six minutes later, though, when he found himself in a muddle while trying to tap in from six yards out.
Lukaku was far more sure-footed when he peeled away from the last defender before picking out the bottom right-hand corner with laser-guided precision on 16 minutes.
But the Belgium defence switched off
Dylan Bronn forced in Wahbi Khazri’s curling free kick to half the deficit with the back-line sound asleep.
It briefly knocked the stuffing out of the European side.
And Khazri called Thibaut Courtois into action again with a fizzing effort after half an hour.
But coach Nabil Maaloul could only watch on in horror as two more of his players bit the dust.
Goalscorer Bronn and Ben Youssef were stretchered off after separate incidents, joining keeper Mouez Hassen on an alarming injury list.
Belgium regrouped and it was more Lukaku magic that restored the two-goal cushion on the stroke of half time.
Thomas Meunier played in the Manchester United marksman, who lifted gracefully over advancing keeper Farouk Ben Mustapha.
Tunisia were dead and buried on 51 minutes
Toby Alderweireld produced a defence-splitting pass that Hazard chested down before finishing with ease.
Lukaku was substituted with the game in the bag, before Yannick Carrasco fired inches wide.
Hazard followed him for a sit down, with a likely showdown with England for top spot in the group very much in mind.
A kind of hat-trick followed
How Michy Batshuayi didn’t join them on the score sheet with 15 minutes to go is anyone’s guess.
Dries Mertens found the Chelsea striker, who rounded Ben Mustapha only for the scrambling Yassine Meriah to clear off the line.
Batshuayi only had himself to blame five minutes later when he clattered the crossbar from all of five yards out after Ben Mustapha spilled.
But the stopper atoned seconds later when he denied – you guessed it – Batshuayi.
He got there in the end, sliding in the fifth in the 90th minute as Belgium cruised home despite Khazri clanking in a consolation with seconds remaining.
0 Comments