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Belgium began their quest for glory at the Euros in grand style as they claimed a comfortable 3-0 victory over Russia to go top of Group B.
They came into this game ranked as the world’s number one nation and hoping to live up to expectations. The Russians, meanwhile, were facing a stern test of taking on the Red Devils, who have gone unbeaten in their last nine outings across all competitions.
The game was sparked to life after just 10 minutes as in-form striker Romelu Lukaku broke the deadlock from close range. The Inter Milan man pounced on a defensive mistake in the penalty area by Russia’s Andrey Semenov to fire Belgium into the lead.
Substitute Thomas Meunier then doubled the lead shortly after the half-hour mark to put Belgium in a comfortable position heading into the break.
The Borussia Dortmund full-back reacted fastest to a rebound to grab his eighth international goal barely 10 minutes after replacing the injured Timothy Castagne.
The second half opened with the Russians offering little or no threat in attack thanks to a resilient defensive display from Roberto Martinez’s men.
With the game approaching a close, Thomas Meunier and Romelu Lukaku combined to hand Belgium a three-goal advantage.
The former took out a host of Russian defenders with a sensational pass into the path of the latter. Lukaku comfortably picked his spot to claim his second goal of the night.
Belgium have now risen to the summit of Group B, level on points with second-placed Finland. The Finns claimed an impressive 1-0 win over Denmark earlier in the day. On that note, let's have a look at the player ratings for The Red Devils.
Belgium player ratings
Thibaut Courtois 6/10
The Real Madrid goalkeeper had little or nothing to do as he was largely undisturbed by the toothless Russian side. He made just one save in the game and did well in his ball distribution.
Toby Alderweireld 7/10
Toby Alderweireld put in a calm and collected performance playing on the right side of the Belgian back three. The Tottenham Hotspur man was solid in his defensive duties and prevented Denis Cheryshev from growing into the game.
Dedryck Boyata 7.5/10
Dedryck Boyata put in an assured performance at the heart of the Belgium defense. He held his ground against Russia’s towering center-forward Artem Dzyuba and prevented the Zenit St. Petersburg man from hitting his strides. Boyata finished the game with a game-high five clearances, two interceptions and two tackles.
Jan Vertonghen 7/10
A solid display from the Belgium captain. Vertonghen hardly put a foot wrong all game as he performed brilliantly whenever he was called to action. He won all his attempted ground duels and was very accurate with his passes distribution, completing over 90% of his 103 passes.
Timothy Castagne 5/10
Castagne’s evening was brought to an abrupt end in the 27th minute when he was hauled off after a clash of heads with Russia’s Daler Kuzyayev. He looked comfortable playing as a full-back on the right flank though.
Leander Dendoncker 6/10
The 26-year-old went about his duties diligently throughout the game. He provided a shield at the center of the park for his defenders and hardly put a foot wrong all game.
Youri Tielemans 7.5/10
The Leicester City man put on a show in the center of the park. He dictated the flow and tempo of the game for Belgium as he constantly picked out his teammates with neat and accurate passes. He was also solid defensively, winning a few important duels in midfield.
Thorgan Hazard 7/10
The versatile forward put on an industrious performance, playing as a wing-back on the left flank. He linked up well with Yannick Carrasco in attack, while often tracking back to help his defense.
Dries Mertens 6/10
The Napoli man was off pace with the game as he struggled to hit his stride. Other than a few tackles, Mertens made no telling impact in attack. He attempted no shots and completed none of his dribble attempts before he was replaced by Real Madrid star Eden Hazard.
Romelu Lukaku 8/10
A superb outing from the Belgium striker. Lukaku opened the scoring with his first attempt on goal barely 10 minutes into the game. He was a thorn in the flesh of the Russians all game thanks to his strength and ability to draw his teammates into the attack. The Inter Milan man put the icing on the cake in the 88th minute when he calmly finished off a defence-splitting pass from Meunier.
Yannick Carrasco 7/10
The Atletico Madrid man ran ragged down the left flank throughout the game. He posed a major threat to Russia’s defense with his quick feet and ability to beat his marker. He was replaced by Dennis Praet in the 77th minute as he fizzled out of the game.
Player ratings for Belgium substitutes
Thomas Meunier 8/10
The 29-year-old year old immediately made an impact for Belgiu after coming off the bench to replace the injured Castagne in the 27th minute. Meunier pounced on a loose ball in the box to fire Belgium into a two-goal lead before assisting the third goal with a brilliant pass in the 88th minute.
Eden Hazard 6/10
Eden Hazard replaced Dries Mertens with 18 minutes remaining on the clock but made little or no telling contributions. However, he showed flashes of his former self as he easily evaded the Russian defenders with some neat footwork.
Thomas Vermaelen 5/10
The veteran defender came on in the 77th minute for captain Jan Vertonghen, who picked up a slight knock from a tackle from Dzyuba. He played his part in seeing off the clean sheet for Belgium.
Dennis Praet 5/10
The Leicester City man replaced Carrasco in the 77th minute but made no telling impact on the game.
