De Bruyne the difference, Lukaku the answer: Belgium bounce back to beat Turkey

Belgium needed a response after their narrow defeat by France four days ago. They got one – and, fittingly, it came from two of the biggest names in Belgian football.Kevin De Bruyne scored twice and Romelu Lukaku came off the bench to add another as Belgium beat Turkey 3-0 in the third round of the UEFA Nations League.The scoreline perhaps flattered Belgium. Turkey created enough chances to make the game uncomfortable, while Belgium's defence often left far too much space. But when the moments arrived, De Bruyne and Lukaku made the difference.##LINKED_NEWS_69428##De Bruyne opened the scoring in the 10th minute, exchanging passes with Dodi Lukebakio before slipping the ball through a Turkish defender's legs and calmly finding the corner.Vincenzo Montella's side refused to retreat. Arda Guler tested Senne Lammens from distance several times, while Belgium's midfield – without a natural holding midfielder – struggled to control the game. Lukebakio hit the post at the other end, but Merih Demiral also missed a glorious chance to equalise just before half-time.The second half followed the same pattern, with Turkey pushing forward and Belgium unable to completely settle the game. Then De Bruyne stepped up again.##EDITORS_CHOICE##The Belgian captain received the ball outside the box, shifted it onto his right foot and fired an unstoppable shot into the top corner. That was De Bruyne at his best: two moments of individual quality turning a difficult evening into a comfortable one.Marc Van Bommel soon introduced Romeo Lavia to add some much-needed protection in midfield, while Lukaku was also sent on after surprisingly starting on the bench, with Charles De Ketelaere preferred up front.19.00: (2.80) Estonia (3.15) Luxembourg (2.45)The Belgian record goalscorer did not need long to make his point. In the 76th minute, De Ketelaere found Lukaku inside the box and the striker finished clinically for his 94th international goal.Belgium now have six points from three games, one behind France and two ahead of Italy. Turkey remain bottom without a point.UEFA NATIONS LEAGUE – DIVISION AThursdayDenmark – Portugal 2-4 (1-2)/Damsgaard 23, Hojlund 53 – Cancelo 13, Ramos 25, Vitinha 67, Felix 87/Germany – Serbia 2-0 (1-0)/Bischof 39, Wirtz 61/Greece – Netherlands 2-2 (2-0)/Ioannidis 23, Masouras 45+2 – Van Dijk 59, Reijnders 89/Wales – Norway 2-1 (1-1)/James 38, Williams 48 – Bobb 11/FridayBelgium – Turkey 3-0 (1-0)/De Bruyne 10, 59, Lukaku 76/France – Italy 1-1 (0-0)/Olise 55 – Bastoni 68/Saturday19.00: (4.10) Croatia (3.50) England (1.90)21.45: (1.07) Spain (13.0) Czech R. (25.0)***odds are subject to change***##SOFASCORE_<iframe id="sofa-standings-embed-64387-89945" src="https://widgets.sofascore.com/embed/tournament/64387/season/89945/standings?widgetTitle=UEFA+Nations+League+26%2F27%2C+League+A%2C+Group+1&showCompetitionLogo=true&widgetTheme=light" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="width:100%!important; height:483px!important;max-width:768px!important;"></iframe><div style="font-size:12px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;text-align:left"> Standings provided by <a target="_blank" href="https://sofascore.com/">Sofascore</a> </div>##

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