Opposition targeting Hazard worries Martinez

Belgium coach Roberto Martinez said he is concerned by aggressive targeting of Eden Hazard by opposition defenders could lead to his side losing their captain and star player at the World Cup.

Belgium ran out 3-0 winners over tournament new boys Panama in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi on Monday, with Dries Mertens opening the scoring before Romelu Lukaku netted twice.

Chelsea star Hazard set up Lukaku's second goal, as the Red Devils overcame a difficult first half in the Group G encounter.

But the game was also marked by some tough challenges, with five Panama players booked by the Zambian referee Janny Sikazwe.

"It is a worry that in any of those tackles he could really get hurt," said Martinez.

"It doesn't worry me if that is a way of trying to stop him. Everyone is allowed to prepare games in the way that you can. It is very much allowed and that is part of the rules, and you could run a risk of getting a player sent off.

"My worry is that maybe in one of those tackles, we are going to lose the opportunity to enjoy the quality of a player like Eden Hazard.

"That is not just for him, that goes for any player who has got the natural ability of wanting to take players on. I hope we get lucky in that respect." Hazard himself said that he had taken a "little kick" in the first half but said it was nothing serious.

He added "we will see the best of Eden Hazard maybe later", in an ominous warning to Belgium's future group-stage opponents, Tunisia and England.  However he felt very happy with the team's performance in their 3-0 win in the opener.

"I'm so delighted. There are no easy games, but the players managed to win. In the first half we started well for 10 to 15 minutes but they defended well with their defensive structure and we became a little frustrated in some situations where we would normally take a chance."

‘played with dignity’

After a 3-0 defeat to Belgium in their World Cup debut, Panama coach Hernan Gomez said his team played with dignity and the result was normal.

Asked whether he felt disappointed with the result on Monday, Gomez said: "People say we will lose by six or seven goals, but it didn't happen. Panama played with dignity and for some periods we played pretty well."

Panama, ranked 55th in the world, staged a very encouraging performance in their World Cup debut as they held Belgium's talented team to a 0-0 draw till halftime.

"The difference between Belgium and Panama in soccer is greater than three goals," Gomez admitted.

"Nobody likes losing. We are making the first appearance on the World Cup stage, so some people may say that three goals is a lot, but I think this is a normal result, or even abnormal if you consider that it should have been even worse while facing a team like Belgium."