Belgium 5-1 Luxembourg
Manchester United midfielder Adnan Januzaj made his Belgium debut on Monday night in the Red Devils’ rampant win over Luxembourg, with Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku bagging a hat-trick.
Januzaj, 19, committed himself to Belgium last month despite being elibile for Albania, Kosovo, and even England in time for the 2018 World Cup.
Januzaj said after the game : ‘It’s my job to play one touch, to dribble, to entertain the crowd a bit.’
‘I wasn’t under much pressure. I’m used to playing in front of 80,000 at Manchester United. I am happy with my debut.’
Belgium manager Marc Wilmots admitted, however, that a starting place in the side is not a guarantee for Januzaj.
‘He gives us an extra dimension,’ said Wilmots, but warned Januzaj was still far off getting his spot. ‘He faces a lot of competition.’
Lukaku opened the scoring after three minutes, finishing well after being teed up by Marouane Fellaini.
Joachim equalised from long-range for Luxembourg on 13 minutes, but Lukaku regained Belgian’s lead 10 minutes later after a defensive mix-up.
United star Januzaj made his debut, coming on at half-time as Marc Wilmots ringed the changes, with Vincent Kompany and Eden Hazard rested among others.
And Lukaku, who was on loan at Everton last season, sealed his treble by running past two defenders and driving low into the net.
Tottenham’s Nacer Chadli added a fourth, finishing well after good work by the hosts down the right.
And the Premier League dominance shone through again, with former Chelsea man Kevin De Bruyne slotting home a penalty late on to complete the rout.
‘It was a good performance,’ said Lukaku. ‘What makes me happy is that we performed as a team.’
Belgium had Sammy Bossut in goal, who would normally be the fifth-choice keepers but because of injuries and an extended rest for No 1 Thibaut Courtois, he had a winning debut. Simon Mignolet was still suffering from a sore muscle in his hip and Wilmots decided to rest him.
Belgium play Sweden on Sunday and Tunisia on June 7 in its final warm-up games ahead of leaving for Brazil.
—Daily Mail