Russia 1-4 Belgium
Eden Hazard and his brother Thorgan put Russia to the sword in a blistering first half in Saint Petersburg as Belgium beat their hosts 1-4 to take top spot in Euro 2020 Group I.
With Russia and Belgium already through to the finals after dominating their group, this was a battle for top spot. But it was all over before the half-time break as Eden Hazard teed his brother up for the opener and then bagged a brace himself. Romelu Lukaku added a fourth before Giorgi Jikia scored a late consolation for the hosts.
Highlights of the game
Kevin de Bruyne has been in superb form for club and country, beating Scotland virtually singlehandedly in an imperious performance back in September. And he looked on his game from the off, lobbing a superb ball over the top for Dries Mertens. In the ensuing goalmouth scramble, Romelu Lukaku almost got the vital touch.
But the Belgian fans didn’t have to wait long for the opener. On 16 minutes, Thorgan Hazard picked up the ball just on the left edge of the penalty area, and he was allowed enough space to cut inside and fire a beauty into the top left corner, giving Russia keeper Marinato Guilherme no chance.
If you take a look at the weekend Euro 2020 highlights, that goal’s worth looking out for.
Just after the half-hour, the Red Devils doubled their lead when Toby Alderweireld lobbed a long ball forward which was only half-cleared by the Russian defence. Eden Hazard, lurking on the edge of the penalty area, slammed a first-time effort low and beyond the keeper.
And it was game over when Belgium broke away at pace, outnumbering the Russian defence. De Bruyne passed square to Eden Hazard for the Real Madrid man to pass home his second.
Guilherme made a fantastic save early in the second half to keep the deficit at three. Thorgan Hazard skipped down the left wing and pulled the ball back for Dries Mertens, and the Russia keeper stopped his powerful shot. Mertens fell under a challenge as he got his shot away and was unable to continue, and was replaced by Leicester City’s Youri Tielemans.
Russia had a few forays into the Belgium area. After a blistering counterattack, Zelimkhan Bakaev forced a save from Thibaut Courtois, but he was flagged offside.
Then, on 72 minutes, it was four when Russia, just as they gave Thorgan Hazard too much time when he scored the opener, made the same mistake again. This time, Lukaku was the beneficiary, cutting inside from the right and hitting a low shot past Guilherme.
The Russia fans finally had something to cheer on 78 minutes. Artem Dzyuba got his head to a corner, and when Courtois made the save, Giorgi Jikia was on hand to blast home the loose ball.
The Red Devils almost made it five when Eden Hazard squared to De Bruyne after a sweeping move, but the Manchester City man shot straight at the keeper.
Key statistics
The pre-match SBOBET odds pitched Belgium as odds-on favourites at 1.97, no surprise as the Red Devils are the top-ranked team on the world, with Russia in 37th. And they buried their hosts within 45 minutes.
With no Denis Cheryshev in the side after the Valencia man suffered a thigh injury, Russia were light up front. But they did finish well and ended up with four shots on target to Belgium’s eight.
Lukaku’s goal was his 54th for Belgium and his seventh in the last five European qualifying matches.
What’s next?
The 2020 finals are set to be another stunning showcase of the best European players and teams. Belgium will be alongside France and England as tournament favourites. They all sit in the top four of the FIFA World Rankings, and Spain, in eighth, will also be a team to watch. The Euro 2020 betting odds will be dominated by those four nations.
Roberto Martinez now takes his team home to face Cyprus in their final game. The Cypriots are still in with a chance of a play-off spot, but the Red Devils should make it 10 wins from 10.
Russia finish their qualification schedule with a trip to the tiny principality of San Marino. Their hosts are without a point from their opening eight games, conceding 46 goals and scoring just one! For Russia, it could be a nice antidote to heal the wounds from their mauling at the hands of the Red Devils!
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