Belgium rediscovered its most blistering form to batter Group E rival Ireland 3-0 thanks to a brace from Romelu Lukaku and an Axel Witsel header Saturday. The victory of the world's second-ranked team was in stark contrast to its limp defeat in their opening Euro 2016 match against Italy. Despite dominating the opening half, it still took until the opening minutes of the second period for Belgium to take the lead when Lukaku finished a counter-attack by rifling a shot into the far corner. Ireland had a brief positive spell but Witsel made it two for Belgium with a pinpoint header after 61 minutes, and Lukaku completed the rout with a simple finish after another counter-attack nine minutes later. With Italy having beaten both the Belgians and Sweden to win the group, the victory puts Belgium in second place on three points with the Irish and Sweden stuck on a point apiece. Coach Marc Wilmots made three changes to the Belgium line-up that struggled against Italy, and it immediately appeared more vibrant and cohesive. Its speed and fluidity improved, with the introduction of Thomas Meunier and Yannick Carrasco giving it a menace out wide which had been missing in its opener. Kevin De Bruyne kept his place despite a subdued showing against Italy and, vastly improved, he set the tone with a searing 13th-minute corner which Alderweireld headed wide, before finding his range with a free kick. Ireland was not without its own threat, as Meunier's adventures down the right flank left space for Shane Long to exploit. Belgium, though, began to dominate, with De Bruyne's teasing delivery forcing a diving header from O'Shea on 20 minutes, which inadvertently set up Eden Hazard to fire over. Wes Hoolahan then cleared off the line as Toby Alderweireld headed another fine De Bruyne corner goalward. As Irish resolve strengthened, Wilmots was again left pondering how to forge an effective attacking unit from the Golden Generation's wealth of striking talent. It took only three second-half minutes for an answer to emerge, as De Bruyne, the game's outstanding player, tore down the right before crossing for Lukaku, who opened his body and sent a curling left-foot effort into the corner of the net. The goal seemed to release the pressure on Belgium, which celebrated furiously with Wilmots in the corner while its supporters threw flares onto the pitch. Yet Ireland was justifiably left seething as Alderweireld's penalty-box high foot on Long in the build-up went unpunished. Witsel put the contest beyond the Irish 13 minutes later, arriving in the box to head the impressive Meunier's cross beyond Randolph, whose outstretched hand could not quite divert the thumping effort wide. In the 70th minute, Belgium added a third in a delicious move that encapsulated the invention and panache that has long been expected from this talented squad. Meunier, again influential, dispossessed McClean and sent a long ball forward for Hazard down the right. The attacker, outrageously lapping the linesman on the outside, raced to meet the pass before crossing for Lukaku who swept home with aplomb. This was an emphatic response from Belgium to its critics. With a dazzling second-half performance, it had finally realized its potential in a high-profile fixture, reaffirming its title credentials with clinical precision and real style.
