Eden Hazard of Belgium scores the opening goal from a penalty
Eden Hazard of Belgium scores the opening goal from a penalty Credit: GETTY IMAGES

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34 mins - Belgium 2 Tunisia 1

Lukaku is just off the pitch at the moment receiving some treatment to his right ankle. Meanwhile, Tunisia are keeping up a sustained period of pressure... and KHAZRI SHOOTS FROM DISTANCE! Courtois's spilled it! Luckily for him he can grab the bouncing ball for a Tunisian can nick a cheap goal. 

Lukaku seems to be OK to come back on the pitch... and now Mustapha has dropped the ball from a cross! Belgium focusing their attacks down the right wing to target the left-back. He's having a nightmare.

32 mins - Belgium 2 Tunisia 1

Tunisia are terrible in defence but look dangerous going forward. Belgium's back five drift too far from the midfield and gift space for Tunisia's midfielders to drift into. Sassi turns up on the edge of the box in the centre of the pitch after an attack down the right wing, but can't get his shot on target.

30 mins - Belgium 2 Tunisia 1

Tunisia's defence are all over the place here. They're struggling to play out from the back and have handed a chance on the edge of their own area. Lukaku passes to Witsel, who should pass inside to hand Mertens a free run on goal but instead shoots and blasts over the bar.

It's so far over in fact that the shot doesn't even register on our shot map graphic.

28 mins - Belgium 2 Tunisia 1

De Bruyne and Lukaku are away! The former plays in the latter but his first touch takes the ball too far away and gives the goalie a chance. The keeper comes off his line, blocks the next touch and Lukaku goes down but acknowledges while falling that it's not a foul.

With a better first touch Lukaku had his second goal there.

26 mins - Belgium 2 Tunisia 1

Tunisia are attacking quickly, Khazri skips past Meunier into the box but his rabona cross/shot is caught by Courtois. Belgium build from the back but are in far too flat a shape and lose the ball to Tunisia's pressing.

24 mins - Belgium 2 Tunisia 1

Bronn is taken off on a stretcher :-(

In his place is Naguez, who has apparently been linked with Newcastle and Crystal Palace in the past. 

22 mins - Belgium 2 Tunisia 1

Credit: GETTY IMAGES

Alderweireld is now in the right half space close to the box and GOES FOR A SHOT! Dragged wide. 

Bronn has gone down off the ball after blocking Carrasco's pass. He might have done some serious damage to his knee - it just seems to jar as he connects with the ball. Poor guy. 

20 mins - Belgium 2 Tunisia 1

And it should be 3-1! Belgium attack quickly, Hazard finds room in the right half space to attack, plays the ball wide right, it's crossed in and then Carrasco meets it in the box. His volley is saved but pushed towards Mertens, who passes rather than shooting and the chance goes begging.

What a start! 

GOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLL!!!

But this time it's Tunisia!

They win a free-kick high up the pitch and Khazri crosses in to the centre of the box. Bronn gets ahead of his man and glances the header into the bottom corner, beyond the diving Courtois.

GOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAALLLLLLL!!!!!!

And it's a hiding. Lukaku scores! 

Belgium have a two on two, which becomes a one vs one for Lukaku and the Tunisia centre-back, who plays him onto his left foot (...) and Lukaku finishes low and hard to the far post. Brilliant finish.

15 mins - Belgium 1 Tunisia 0

This is absolutely pathetic by Khazri. He chases Vertonghen for the ball into the box, Vertonghen's fingers tap him in the face and he goes FLYING to the floor, howling in pain. 

 He should be forced to stand trial in front of his family for that one, shown the replay while his children go "daddy... why are you cheating? You said we shouldn't cheat" but it's too late. The damage is done. Anyway, Belgium are in here! Lukakuuuuuuuu

13 mins - Belgium 1 Tunisia 0

Hazard does some excellent work to shield the ball on the goal line and keep an attack alive but the ball has to go back and Tunisia survive. Belgium win the ball back, it's shifted out right, Lukaku dribbles down the wing and crosses low and HAZARD IS THERE! He just doesn't connect properly inside the box and the goalkeeper has an easy save.

11 mins - Belgium 1 Tunisia 0

Hazard and Khaoui are having a little sit down after colliding at high speed and winding each other. Both are absolutely fine to continue but that won't have been enjoyable.

9 mins - Belgium 1 Tunisia 0

How will Tunisia respond to that early set back? Khazri tries to play in Ben Youssef down the right but passes to Belgium's defence. Belgium have started really well here.

GOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLL!!!

Hazard steps up real cool and slots the ball bottom left. What a start by Belgium!

 

PENALTY! 

Great move by Belgium! It's short passing, fluid movement and Hazard has the ball on the edge of the area. A little stepover and burst of pace later and the defender is beaten, wiping Hazard out.

Tunisia want a VAR review because they think it's outside the area....

The penalty stands! Hazard will take.

4 mins - Belgium 0 Tunisia 0

Tunisia push high up the pitch, want a free-kick but don't get it and Belgium break quickly! Lukaku chases a ball through to the goalkeeper and is about a yard away from beating him to it! Ben Mustapha wins this battle. 

Belgium keep up the pressure and Meunier cuts inside onto his left foot to shoot... but the goalie saves easily.

2 mins - Belgium 0 Tunisia 0

Belgium win a free-kick inside 30 seconds about 35 yards out. This could be dangerous!

De Bruyne curls it into the box... but basically just kicks the ball straight to the goalkeeper. A poor start by him.

KICK_OFF.exe

Here we go! How many VAR penalties will we get in this game? Only time will tell! 

Belgium, wearing yellow, get the game started.

National anthems time

The players are on the pitch and now is time for Gianni Infantino to act like he's as important as an actual prime minister or president. Look at him in his suit next to world leaders. Thinks he's so cool.

Anyway, this song should get you pumped for the match:

 Tunisia give the anthem some proper welly and the manager even breaks into tears. They win the 'battle of the anthems' this time. But what about the battle of the soccerball? 

Zabaleta on Hazard

"One of the toughest opponents I would say to play against. He's so good especially on the turn and the way he drives the ball forward, he can go past two, three players and is so composed. When you play against a player like Hazard he doesn't think twice, he just takes it."

Why did Chelsea make such a big mistake with De Bruyne?

Lampard:

"I don't think they missed it. We were there at the time. There was an embarrassment of riches, Oscar etc. He was getting restless... of course he slipped the net." 

Belgium vs Tunisia tactics

 Frank Lampard has pointed out how Tunisia close down the man on the ball in numbers to try and limit their passing options. What ends up happening with that three man defence is someone is left spare on the opposite side of the pitch. A quick pass to that wing and the defender can carry the ball out from the back into heaps of space.  Belgium should be able to exploit that.

This BBC chat is tremendous

We are talking about Belgium here but the BBC panel is looking at England's options for their game against Panama. Gary Lineker has revealed that he's watched Ruben Loftus-Cheek since he was 11 because he played in the same team as his son, saying "I told him that if this kid doesn't make it I'd be really surprised".

Meanwhile, in the other game in Group G, our man Sam Wallace has written this on another player who struggled to cut it at Chelsea despite huge potential.

Frank Lampard

I'm paraphrasing this a little bit because my hands aren't typing as quickly as I want to yet. I'm getting warmed up. Don't worry. Anyway, Lampard has revealed his long, arduous journey from a comfortable upper-middle class background.

"I went to a private school in Essex so I feel bad compared to these guys! What I did have was a father who pushed me. 

"It was a real eye opener when Chelsea became a bit more cosmopolitan and Didier etc came in, we maybe didn't realise how easy we had it because they told us stories about back home and you see how lucky you are."

Ex-pros on their journey

Pablo Zabaleta

"We have a dream to play in Europe to play in the greatest league in the world. And it's really tough because you have to leave your friends, your family. I was 21 and I cannot complain, I went to Barcelona to Espanyol! You have to be mature for this, be a tough person for those moments."

But who is going to win this game?

Find out here! 

Romelu Lukaku interview

The BBC have an incredible interview with Romelu Lukaku on screen at the moment. He reveals things like when he realised his family was broke, how he used to share football boots with his dad and a really sad story about how his granddad died just days before he signed a professional football deal - the contract he kept telling his mum would change their lives once he got it. Good lad. He's come a long way.

Didier Drogba is his hero too and is talking about meeting Lukaku.

"He came up to me and said 'oh I know this goal, this minute you scored'. I remember it very well. He said 'I remember it because I was nine at that time'! I was 34. Like, man. Time flies."

 

Belgium unchanged

Belgium manager Roberto Martinez picks the same side that beat Panama, whilst Tunisia makes just two changes from the side that lost to England. 

Goalkeeper Farouk Ben Mustapha comes in for Mouez Hassen, while Naim Sliti makes way for  Saîf-Eddine Khaoui.

Location, location, location

Nine days in and fans have had a chance to see every stadium in action. 

They're glorious aren't they? 

The red and white Spartak Stadium looks tailor made for a match between Belgium, who play in red today, and Tunisia, who play in white.

And on the ninth day...

A warm welcome to another day of World Cup football.

It can be unusually cruel at times, the World Cup, as we've already seen Morocco, Egpyt, and fan favourites Peru crash out. After so much waiting, so much preparation, and so many miles travelled, it can all be over so quickly.

Today, Tunisia must win to have any realistic chance of staying in Russia. Lose, and they put their hopes on Panama beating England. As any England supporter will tell you, there's no chance that'll happen - I'm not sure if you've heard but, football's coming home. 

Tunisia fans ahead of their side's second World Cup match against Belgium Credit: Sergei Karpukhin/Reuters

A lot of the drama at this World Cup has had little to do with the football so far. VAR and leaked team sheets have dominated the headlines, but Russia is screaming out for someone to grab it by the horns and put in a display fit for a champion.

It could certainly be star-studded Belgium, unbeaten in their past ten World Cup group-stage matches. This a golden generation to envy, as they're bursting with so much talent that even Mousa Dembele, brilliant this year (and any year) for Tottenham, didn't get in the starting lineup in their first match against Panama. 

Belgium won anyway, with all three goals in a 3-0 win coming in the second half where we saw glimpses of what this side is capable of. Kevin De Brunye, Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukaku started to replicate the kind of form we're used to seeing in the Premiership - frightening.

They can seal qualification to the second round with a win today, and start fulfilling some of the potential their squad promises.

Tunisia's defense will certainly have their work cut out for them, but expect a higher line than we saw them play against England as they're forced to go out and find a winner. 

Belgium fans ahead of their match against Tunisia Credit: Sergei Karpukhin/Reuters

One thing you can count on at the Russia 2018 World Cup is that the fans will be up for it. They've absolutely stolen the show so far, so expect another great display of support for both sides at the Spartak Stadium.