A late change to the lineup saw a new player enter the final game of the day for Saturday, but it wasn’t to be their night as Belgium made light work of Russia in Moscow to begin their ElectroCity FIFA 20 European Championships campaign.
Dzyuba was unlucky not to put the hosts ahead on 6 minutes, his header from close range sailing high over the crossbar.
It would be Russia to make the breakthrough – the first of six goals on the night – Ionov crossing to Ozdoev on the edge of the box, his long-range effort parried into the path of Aleksander Golovin (21) who pounced on the rebound to poke home inside the six yard box.
Their advantage would be short-lived. Eden Hazard (28) found himself with plenty of room on the edge of the Russia D, playing a quick one-two with Witsel and striking low and left from 18 yards to restore parity.
Mertens and Lukaku repeated the same move not two minutes later, Lukaku (30) rifling home off his left foot inside the box for the go-ahead goal.
Heading into the break with a 2-1 lead, Belgium found their third (51) through Mertens and Lukaku, the former squeezing a low through ball past Zobnin on the edge of the Russia area to free up Lukaku to fire low and to the right for his second from eight yards out.
Russia closed the gap to one (63) with Ionov finding Cheryshev unmarked on the edge of the area to smash home into the top right corner from 18 yards out – a certain contender for goal of the week.
Hazard almost had his second (68), his effort from close range crashing off the underside of the crossbar. The rebound, however, was headed away poorly by Fernandes, only to fall to Lukaku who volleyed home off his right from 12 yards out to restore the Belgians’ two goal cushion.
Golovin came close to finding a third for Russia but they go out beaten on home soil, undone by
Watch: Belgium v Russia (Highlights)
