Lukaku becomes top scorer as Belgium thump Tunisia

Belgium earned its own goal record in World Cup matches by beating Tunisia with a stunning 5-2 victory in the Spartak Stadium here on Saturday afternoon.

Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukaku both scored twice, with the latter moving to top of the scorer list, level with glitzy Portugal footballer Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Tunisians who registered two goals as consolation also impressed the 44,190 spectators with their struggle.

It was hot in Moscow as temperature reached 29 degrees Celsius, but the competition on the pitch was even hotter.

Belgium, with a win over Panama in its opening match, were eager to get another victory so as to advance to the knockout stage. Whereas Tunisia, suffering from a last-minute defeat in previous match against England, must grab this chance if they didn't want to be eliminated.

The first goal came soon after opening of the game, when Chelsea forward Eden Hazard was tripped and fell on the right line of the box. Penalty was ruled following VAR confirmation, and Hazard sent the ball into the net briskly.

The Red Devils, who were in yellow for the first time in major tournaments, almost doubled the lead six minutes later. Lukaku rushed down the right and crossed to Hazard, who fired at the goal. The Tunisian goalkeeper acted rapidly to clutch the ball.

Then real chance came in the 16th minute, when Lukaku, forward of Manchester United, received a right back cross and prodded it into the bottom right corner.

The Carthage Eagles responded with fiercer attack. Midfielder Wahbi Khazri clipped in a free-kick while Dylan Bronn nodded it into the bottom right.

On the stroke of half time Lukaku had another chance, but the ball was overcooked. He managed to redeem on minute later, as Thomas Meunier glides into Lukaku for his second goal.

The on-fire Belgium maintained their edge in the second half. Kevin De Bruyne blazed down the middle. The Tunisian goalkeeper Farouk Ben Mustapha went out amid scramble, while Eden Hazard tucked the ball into an empty net.

But Ben Mustapha showed his excellence by keeping out many shots, including one from close range by Yannick Carrasco in the 79th minute. Substitute Micky Batshuayi blast again, only to see the ball bouncing between the bar and the ground.

The sun rain, which started after an hour mark, didn't stop, and nor did the rain of goals.

The Borussia Dortmund forward kept on attacking and got his reward on the full-time stroke. Youri Tielemans curled in from the right while Batshuayi slotted in.

But this is not the ending.

Three minutes later, Tunisian captain Wahbi Khazri steered a cross from Hamdi Naguez who dribbled from the right. The final effort won cheers from Tunisian fans for their persistence.

The Tunisian coach Maaloul Nabil apologized at the press conference to the Tunisian fans. "As expected, it was a very difficult match," he said. "Ever since we were drawn into this group we knew Belgium were going to be a tough opponent...However, we did our best and we will try to improve our performance in the future."

The two countries met three times, with one victory each and a draw at the 2002 World Cup.

This match added a ninth 5-2 in World Cup history, with the first of such score also created by Belgium--in 1934 Belgium was defeated by Germany.

The result put Belgium in an advantageous place to advance into the knockout stage.

"Today is a game that suits our style," said the coach for Belgium Roberto Martinez, 44. "You need to give huge credit to Tunisia. They wanted to win from the beginning. They wanted to press really high. I think the credit that we deserve is we took the opportunities well. "

The former English club midfielder attributed their victory to the attitude of players. "Working hard, defending well and reacting as a group," he said. Talking about Lukaku he said: "He always tries to score as many goals as he can. Today what we have is the opportunity to show his individual talent. I think he is like other players, well aware that we must keep working, keep getting better as a team."

Next Thursday Tunisia will play against Panama while Belgium will vie against England.