Two Romelu Lukaku goals put Belgium top of Group A2 and relegated Iceland.
Belgium moved two points clear in League A Group 2 after Romelu Lukaku struck twice away to Iceland, a result that condemned the home side to relegation.
Short of players, and with coach Erik Hamrén and his staff isolating, Iceland looked shaky early on, Lukaku capitalising on some tentative defending as he turned in the box to crash the opener past Rúnar Rúnarsson. However, the hosts did not buckle, levelling when Rúnar Már Sigurjónsson’s sweet ball teed up Birkir Sævarsson to fire low past Simon Mignolet.
They threatened to do more damage to Belgium, who were without key men Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne, but the tide turned again when Lukaku was fouled in the box and stepped up to coolly convert from the penalty spot: his 55th goal for Belgium. Iceland looked the better side for much of the second half, but a moral victory did not spare them relegation to League B.
Reaction
Axel Witsel: “I am very happy with the win tonight. We were up against a difficult opponent and a difficult pitch. This match will not be one for the history books, though. We played in a good block and responded well after our game in England. We didn’t score the amount of goals our fans are used to, but the three points are the most important thing.”
