Belgium vs Switzerland. UEFA Nations League Group A2.
King Baudouin StadiumAttendance39,049.
Manchester United striker moves onto 45 goals for his country
Friday 12 October 2018 23:25, UK
Romelu Lukaku scored twice as Belgium maintained their 100 per cent start in Group A2 by beating Switzerland 2-1 in Brussels.
The Manchester United striker claimed an 84th-minute winner at the King Baudouin Stadium as he moved onto 45 goals for his country.
The Swiss defended strongly throughout the match, but Lukaku converted two chances out of three to give top-ranked Belgium the victory.
The result left Belgium with six points from their first two games in Group A2, three points more than Switzerland. After a smooth move started by Eden Hazard in the 58th minute, the ball ended up with Lukaku and he hit home from 12-yards.
Switzerland proved resilient after conceding the goal. In the 76th minute, Xherdan Shaqiri curled a free-kick into the box and substitute Mario Gavranovic easily slotted home from close range after the Belgian defence failed to clear.
It came down to Lukaku to break the deadlock with six minutes left. He kept a cool head in the box and finished low through the centre for the decider.
"It was tough," Hazard said post-match. "Two great goals."
Victory for the Red Devils follows persistent speculation linking coach Roberto Martinez and assistant Thierry Henry with other roles.
Henry is expected to agree a deal to become Monaco head coach within the next 48 hours, Sky Sports News understands.
Norwich striker Teemu Pukki kept Finland top of C2 with three wins from as many games after he struck a dramatic stoppage-time winner to overcome pointless neighbours Estonia 1-0.
Elsewhere in that group, Greece beat Hungary by the same scoreline in Athens following a second-half winner from Marseille striker Kostas Mitroglou.
In Group D2, Belarus moved to the top after Anton Saroka's strike earned a 1-0 win which ended Luxembourg's 100 per cent start, while Radu Ginsari's double saw Moldova beat San Marino 2-0.
Elsewhere, Northern Ireland slipped to a second successive defeat after Marko Arnautovic's second-half strike gave Austria a 1-0 success in Group B3.
West Ham forward Arnautovic produced a composed finish to bury the ball past Leeds goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell with 19 minutes remaining in Vienna.
Substitute Will Grigg threatened a late equaliser when he struck a post for Michael O'Neill's men.
Finally, England and Croatia picked up their first Nations League points following an uninspiring goalless draw played behind closed doors in Rijeka.
Both teams were beaten by Group A4 leaders Spain in their opening matches of the competition and there was little between them at a subdued Stadion Rujevica.
