Advertisement

Belgium golden boys dazzle but still do not quite add up to a team

Easy does it: Lukaku dinks home his second goal: REUTERS
Easy does it: Lukaku dinks home his second goal: REUTERS

When England review this meeting between Belgium and Panama by the Black Sea, there will be reasons for optimism and concern about both of their future group-stage opponents.

Belgium were comfortable winners, breaking the resistance of the World Cup debutants through Dries Mertens’ brilliant 47th-minute volley, before Romelu Lukaku added gloss with a well-taken double.

If the scoreline was impressive, Belgium performance’s suggested Roberto Martinez’s team is still less than the sum of its stellar parts, while underlining the remarkable individual quality at the Spaniard’s disposal.

Panama were painfully limited but their willingness to be physical and, frankly, kick their opponents will give England’s players pause for thought.

Chelsea’s Eden Hazard, in particular, was on the receiving end of some crunching tackles and Dele Alli and Raheem Sterling can expect the same treatment on Sunday.

After breezing through qualification, Martinez’s task in Russia is to extract the best from this golden generation, while continuing to win. On this evidence, he is only halfway there.

Belgium were too disjointed and predictable before Mertens’ moment, with Hazard not seeing enough of the ball. Kevin de Bruyne was forced to drop to the edge of his own penalty box to see it at all.

Lukaku was initially well marshalled by Roman Torres and missed an easy chance, while wing-backs Yannick Carrasco and Thomas Meunier did little to suggest they have been miscast as the weak links in Martinez’s side.

There was plenty for England boss Gareth Southgate to take heart from ahead of the meeting with Belgium in Kaliningrad on Thursday week, widely expected to decide top spot in Group G.

Belgium improved after Mertens (right) had broken the deadlock with a moment of inspiration — a sweetly-struck volley that sailed over extended Panama goalkeeper Jaime Penedo.

The gaps soon began to appear with more frequency in Panama’s tiring rearguard and Lukaku was the beneficiary, nodding home at the back post after excellent work from Hazard and Manchester City’s De Bruyne.

It was a goal which underlined the chemistry and invention in this Belgium side, and Lukaku added another, finishing coolly from Hazard’s defence-splitting pass.

Martinez said: “We started very well but became frustrated as the first half wore on.”

But Belgium’s victory owed more to individual brilliance than an effective gameplan and did little to satisfy doubts about Martinez’s ability to organise a defence.

Three and easy: Belgium started with victory over debutants Panama (AFP/Getty Images)
Three and easy: Belgium started with victory over debutants Panama (AFP/Getty Images)

In the absence of captain Vincent Kompany, Belgium were very far from watertight and, even at 3-0 down, Panama had openings, greeted with deafening roars by their 4,000 percussion-backed supporters.

Michael Murillo, the right-back, found himself in acres of space, only to wait a fraction too long, allowing Jan Vertonghen and Thibaut Courtois to recover. The Chelsea goalkeeper also denied Armando Cooper, who burst forward while Belgium napped.

Panama coach Hernan Gomez said: “It was an incredible experience for our country and our performance was not bad. I told my players they lost with dignity. We will keep learning.”