Belgium warmed up for the knockout rounds of Euro 2020 with a 2-0 win over Finland in St Petersburg, and while Eden Hazard was able to prove his fitness, it was Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku who proved that. They are the key to leading this 'Golden Generation' to some silverware.
With the final night play of Group A reserved for Copenhagen, where Denmark beat Russia 4–1 to claim second place and an unexpected route through to the last-16, Roberto Martinez rested and rotated. . However, Hazard was asked to complete 90 minutes of an injury-ridden season with Real Madrid, in which he made just 14 appearances in La Liga.
He didn't finish, but Martinez would be forgiven for feeling a greater sense of relief that De Bruyne and Lukaku did as well. A perfectly fit hazard is crucial for this Belgian team, ranked No. 1 in the world, but De Bruyne and Lukaku are absolutely critical to its success for the rest of this tournament.
De Bruyne had a hand in both goals in the second half scored by Lukaku, starting play for the first time since the Champions League final cut after suffering a facial fracture.
"It was a tough game today," said the Manchester City midfielder who was named man of the match.
"We knew that Finland would play very compact and would be hard to break. But from the moment we scored, we knew they had to come out and it was more open. Our second half was much better.
"It's always good to get an individual award, but the most important thing is how we play as a team. I try to improve the team as an individual as well. We learned a lot today. Now we have to Gotta be ready for the next match."
Hazard may also be pleased with his night job, and not just because he was on the pitch for the first and last whistles since Real Madrid played Real Sociedad in November 2019. A lively, if not the central man, he had 40 passes in the final third - more than any Belgian player - and had four shots, two of which were on target. He was also unlucky in that he didn't score, only to be denied an excellent save from Finland goalkeeper Lukas Hradecki after bursting into the left side of the penalty area.
But when Belgium was at its most clinical, it was De Bruyne and Lukaku. The pair gave Finland a warning in the first half when Lukaku disappeared between two white shirts and was found in the De Bruyne clip box. The Inter Milan striker couldn't get enough of the header, and it was collected by Heradeki.
Finland was lucky again in the second half when de Bruyne threaded the needle through a pass into Lukaku, who took a crisp touch to twist and set himself up in a movement before drilling his finish into the net. This was Lukaku at his best, but VAR saw the tightest offside. He was the last of the fate of Finland.
On 74 minutes, de Bruyne whipped a corner from the left, and 35-year-old Thomas Vermeulen jumped off the post and Haredecki to head the ball. Belgium did not even finish, and Lukaku eventually scored his goal, taking another pass from De Bruyne, rolling a defender and hitting his third of the tournament and his 41st shot for club and country this season. thrown in the corner.
After topping Group B, Belgium will play one of the third-place qualifiers in the last 16, followed by a possible quarterfinal meeting with Italy in Munich on 2 July. The Italian defense will be aware of the threat posed by the former Chelsea and Manchester United striker, after guiding Inter Milan to the Serie A title with 24 goals in 36 games.
Finland, meanwhile, faces a nervous wait. For most of the evening they finished second in Group A for Denmark's Goal Blitz and second-placed Lukaku for Belgium to advance to third. It is possible that their three points in three matches will not be enough to move them forward.
"I am very proud of the work my players have done today," said Finland coach Markku Kanerva.
"You saw the quality of Belgium, but I am very proud of the way my players fought. We created a few chances too, but unfortunately those shots were stopped.
"We were a little unlucky with the first goal. I'm disappointed we didn't get a point. Now we have a little, little chance to go, but I'm proud of our performance in the tournament. We showed that we belong here."