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Hazard and Lukaku doubles as Belgium cruise to last 16

Romelu Lukaku was on the mark early against Tunisia as Belgium eased through to the last 16
Romelu Lukaku was on the mark early against Tunisia as Belgium eased through to the last 16

Belgium cruised through to the World Cup last 16 with Romelu Lukaku’s two first-half goals proving decisive in a comfortable 5-2 success over Tunisia, to move three points clear of England in Group G.

In sweltering 40C heat and humid conditions in the Otkrytiye Arena, it did not take long for Roberto Sanchez’s side to get off the mark. Eden Hazard was felled by Ben Mustapha and the Belgium skipper calmly slotted home the resulting spot-kick with just six minutes gone.

A flowing move six minutes later almost brought a second. Thomas Meunier skipped forward and released Lukaku down the right flank and his low cross was turned goalward by Hazard, but his connection was not altogether solid and Ben Moustapha saved easily, low down to his left.

AS IT UNFOLDED: Belgium v Tunisia

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The Tunisian keeper also had to be alert to Carrasco’s 14th-minute effort, but he was beaten just seconds after when Dries Mertens nipped in front of Ali Maaloul on the half-way line. His deftly-weighted pass and Lukaku’s checked run allowed the Manchester United striker to crack a first-time, left-footed shot into the opposite right-hand corner to give Belgium a 2-0 lead with 16 minutes gone.

If there is a weakness in the Belgium side, it is at the heart of their defence and Tunisia exploited a height advantage, hitting back almost immediately, when Wahbi Khazri’s curling free-kick was nodded home by Dylan Bronn in the 17th minute.

However, Tunisia were forced into a defensive reshuffle when Hamdi Nagguez replaced their stretchered-off scorer not long after, and in a frenetic opening half, Belgium continued to pose most of the questions. Ben Mustapha had to get down smartly to prevent Yannick Carrasco’s volley from finding the net and even Toby Alderweireld tried his luck from distance, only to fire wide as Martinez’s side sought to restore their two-goal lead.

Lukaku should have done better when Kevin De Bruyne put him through, but a heavy first touch saw him squander the 26th-minute opportunity.

Eden Hazard celebrates after slotting home the opener from the penalty against Tunisia
Eden Hazard celebrates after slotting home the opener from the penalty against Tunisia

Tunisia managed just one shot at goal in their opening 2-1 defeat by England, but while their attempts at goal were again limited, Thibaut Courtois had to parry former Sunderland man Khazri’s curling 31st-minute and collect at the second attempt.

Tunisia had to make a second defensive change just before the end of a relentless first half when Syam Ben Yousef was stretchered off and replaced by Youhan Benalouane and Belgium punished them.

De Bruyne should have had a third in stoppage time at the end of the first half, but his unselfish pass was just too strong for Lukaku, but just seconds later, the Red Devils’ marksman grabbed his second when Meunier’s reverse pass slipped him in behind a static backline and he dinked the ball home with his right foot.

Tunisia started brightly in the second half as Belgium dropped deeper and only a last-ditch tackle from Jan Vertonghen denied Saif-Eddine Khaoui, but Belgium survived the scare and soon put the game to bed.

In the 51st-minute, Alderweireld produced a searching, pin-point ball over the top of the Tunisian defence which was chested expertly down by Hazard. In stride, he kept his feet after touching the ball past an onrushing Ben Mustapha and tapped home to make it 4-1.

Eden Hazard strokes home his second and Belgium’s fourth
Eden Hazard strokes home his second and Belgium’s fourth

With 13 minutes of the second half gone and his job done, Lukaku was replaced by Maroune Fellaini, although his double puts him at the top of the Golden Boot betting alongside Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo with four goals in two games.

Carrasco’s curling right-footed shot beat the Ben Mustapha and whistled last his left-hand post soon after, but Belgium themselves did not always look water-tight at the back, and Courtois had to get down to deny Anice Badri’s 65th-minute strike after intricate passing on the edge of the box gave the El Tunis striker a shooting opportunity.

As the game wore on, Badri posed more of a threat and Vertongen had to come receive treatment after a clash of heads with Tunisian striker with just over 17 minutes remaining.

But as the African side pressed forward, they were increasingly exposed at the back and substitute Michy Batshuayi was twice denied by Ben Mustaphi in the space of a minute. He rushed out smartly to slide the ball away with his chest and, soon after, the Chelsea striker rounded him when put through by Carrasco, only to see his goal-bound effort cleared off the line and gathered by the scrambling keeper.

This was becoming exhibition stuff from Belgium and De Bruyne opened up the Tunisian defence again in the 78th minute, allowing the impressive Carrasco to cut inside from the left and fire in a curling shot that was parried by the keeper. Batshuayi smashed the follow-up onto the bar.

As Belgium turned the screw, Batshuayi could have had a hat-trick in five minutes, but he blasted a third golden chance straight at Ben Mustaphi.

Batshuayi finally got his reward, converting the most difficult of his chances in the 90th minute when sliding in to divert substitute Youri Tielemans’s superb crossfield pass into the net to make it 5-1. And he still had time to fluff another chance with his left foot, in what turned into a rout.

In the final minute of stoppage time, Khazri turned in a Tunisian consolation, to give England hope of their upcoming clash with Belgium.