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Attendance: 44,190
Belgium national football team
World Cup | Group Stage
Jun 23, 2018 at 1pm UK
 
Tunisia national football team

5-2

Hazard (6' pen., 51'), Lukaku (16', 45+3'), Batshuayi (90')
FT(HT: 3-1)
Bronn (18'), Khazri (90+3')

Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku hit doubles in Belgium's win over Tunisia

Belgium all but secure a place in the last 16 of the World Cup with a 5-2 victory over Tunisia in Saturday's Group G fixture in Moscow.

Two goals from Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukaku have helped Belgium to a 5-2 victory over Tunisia in Saturday's World Cup fixture in Moscow.

Hazard and Lukaku completed their doubles within the first 51 minutes of the Group G fixture and Michy Batshuayi added a fifth for his side in the final minute to all but secure Belgium's place in the last 16 of the competition.

Dylan Bronn and Wahbi Khazri both got on the scoresheet for Tunisia but the Eagles of Carthage were well beaten and look unlikely to qualify for the knockout stages.

Belgium started the match on the front foot and it took just five minutes for the Red Devils to win a penalty after Hazard was tripped inside the penalty area, with the Chelsea playmaker getting to his feet to sweep the ball to the right of Farouk Ben Mustapha.

Hazard should have added a second soon afterwards but scuffed a shot towards goal from 12 yards, although Lukaku soon doubled his side's advantage when he latched onto a Dries Mertens pass before finding the far bottom corner from inside the penalty area.

However, Tunisia quickly halved the deficit through Bronn, who was perfectly placed to head into the far corner after Khazri had delivered a teasing inswinging cross.

Belgium responded through speculative efforts from Yannick Carrasco and Toby Alderweireld, but the tempo of the game was broken up after Bronn was stretchered off with what appeared to be a knee injury.

Tunisia improved as the first half progressed with Ferjani Sassi dragging a shot wide of Thibaut Courtois's right post and Khazri forcing the Chelsea stopper to tip his long-range attempt over the crossbar.

Fakhreddine Ben Youssef also went close with a volley from the edge of the area, but all of Tunisia's hard work was undone just before the break as Lukaku scored his second.

Kevin De Bruyne played the ball in-field to Thomas Meunier and, after the wing-back flicked a pass through to Lukaku, the Manchester United forward did the rest by dinking a shot over Ben Mustapha.

Both teams returned for the second half with the intention of going on the attack but Belgium soon put the game beyond any doubt with a fourth goal as Hazard collected a pinpoint pass from De Bruyne before rounding Ben Mustapha and volleying into an empty net.

To their credit, Tunisia continued to press forward in search of goals but the better chances were falling to Belgium with Carrasco curling agonisingly wide of the far top corner.

Anice Badri had Tunisia's best attempt with the forward's low effort being claimed by Courtois but Belgium - after withdrawing both Lukaku and Hazard - dominated the final quarter of the game.

Batshuayi had several chances to score soon after his introduction, and his first saw him take the ball around goalkeeper Ben Mustapha only to see his resulting shot cleared off the line by Yassine Meriah.

The Chelsea forward then lashed the ball against the crossbar from six yards after Ben Mustapha had fumbled Carrasco's low effort, before the substitute was denied by the goalkeeper from point-blank range after making a solid connection with a volley.

However, Batshuayi would finally hit the back of the net in the final minute of normal time, sliding in to volley into the far corner after a teasing cross from Youri Tielemans.

In the third minute of added-on time, Tunisia netted a second through Khazri - who swept into the far corner from close range - but Belgium were full value for their win and this performance has laid down a marker to England and their tournament rivals.

BELGIUM (3-4-3) Courtois; Alderweireld, Boyata, Vertonghen; Meunier, De Bruyne, Witsel, Carrasco; Mertens (Tielemans 86'), Lukaku (Fellaini 59'), Hazard (Batshuayi 68')

TUNISIA (4-3-3): Ben Mustapha; Meriah, S.Ben Youssef (Benalouane 41'), Bronn (Nagguez 24'), Maaloul; Sassi (Sliti 59'), Skhiri, Badri; F.Ben Youssef, Khazri, Khaoui

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Group A

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Q Netherlands Netherlands32107
Q Senegal flag Senegal32016
3 Ecuador flag Ecuador31114
4 Qatar Qatar30030

Group B

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Q England flag England32107
Q United States USA31205
3 Iran Iran31023
4 Wales flag Wales30121

Group C

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Q Argentina Argentina32016
Q Poland Poland31114
3 Mexico Mexico31114
4 Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia31023

Group D

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Q France France32016
Q Australia Australia32016
3 Tunisia Tunisia31114
4 Denmark Denmark30121

Group E

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Q Japan Japan32016
Q Spain Spain31114
3 Germany Germany31114
4 Costa Rica flag Costa Rica31023

Group F

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Q Morocco Morocco32107
Q Croatia Croatia31205
3 Belgium Belgium31114
4 Canada Canada30030

Group G

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Q Brazil Brazil32016
Q Switzerland Switzerland32016
3 Cameroon flag Cameroon31114
4 Serbia Serbia30121

Group H

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Q Portugal Portugal32016
Q Republic of Korea South Korea31114
3 Uruguay flag Uruguay31114
4 Ghana flag Ghana31023

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