Belgium are in control and lead Russia 2-0 at half-time. Lukaku gave them the lead just 10 minutes in after Semenov failed to clear Mertens’ cross and he picked out the bottom corner. Meunier doubled their advantage after coming off the bench when Shunin’s save fell to him and he slotted in. Carrasco also fired over after a great run while Fernandes saw a header saved at the other end.
45′ + 4′ HALF-TIME: BELGIUM 2-0 RUSSIA.
45′ + 2′ CLOSE! Carrasco dances his way past three Russia players, riding the challenges coming in, before getting into the box. He then drifts past Semenov before trying to lift his shot over Shunin, but it’s just over the bar.
45′ Meunier slides it into Tielemans on the right and he cuts inside before deciding to have a go from distance. He drills his effort towards the near post, but two Russia defenders throw themselves in front of it to make a block.
43′ Zhirkov went down holding his knee after making an interception earlier and it looks like he’s still struggling with it as Karavaev is brought on to replace him.
42′ Russia are still struggling to get on the ball here, but at the moment, they’re happy to let Belgium just keep possession in front of them and try to keep the space tight in behind.
40′ Shunin rushed off his line but was miles away from the ball as Semenov headed it clear in the middle. Ozdoev heads it back into the danger zone though and Meunier gets it before running straight into Zhirkov.
38′ Golovin is standing over a free-kick just outside the box through the middle and he floats a good cross into the box. Dzyuba rises to meet it and instead of heading it on goal, he sends it to the far post but Barinov can’t sort his feet out quick enough.
36′ Lukaku is pointing to where he wants the ball and Tielemans plays a good throughball into the box. It’s just out of the forward’s reach though and Zhirkov slides in to stop him from getting a chance.
34′ MEUNIER SCORES! Hazard whips a wonderful cross into the box and Shunin gets down to push it away from goal. He gifts it straight to Meunier though and he takes a touch before slotting it into the bottom corner and making it 2-0 Belgium!
33′ Belgium are still patiently making their way upfield, but they’re struggling to get in behind Russia at the moment as they’ve dropped so deep. They’re switching it from left to right to try and open up some space.
31′ Barinov slid in to stop the ball from reaching Mertens, but the forward looks to have accidentally landed on his as he tried to jump over the challenge. Both players have gone down, but it looks like they’ll be able to carry on without treatment.
29′ It looked like Kuzyaev was going to carry on after being patched up following the collision with Castagne, but he’s taken off the pitch by the medical team and Cheryshev is on in his place.
29′ Belgium are keeping Russia penned back deep in their own half now and Alderweireld has travelled a long way up the pitch. It’s squared to him just outside the box and he has a go from distance but fires it over the crossbar.
27′ Castagne is taken straight down the tunnel, with the ice pack still being held to his head, and Meunier is coming on to replace him.
26′ Kuzyaev is quickly back to his feet and patched up, but Castagne has stayed down and has an ice pack on his head. Meunier is warming up and it looks like they won’t be taking any risks with Castagne.
24′ Russia break quickly on the counter following a Belgium corner and they get it out of their own half with a series of one-touch passes. Kuzyaev and Castagne both jump for it and there’s a clash of heads which has the referee waving on the medical teams.
22′ GREAT SAVE! Belgium are piling the pressure on now and Carrasco’s drilled cross bounces off Barinov before falling to Hazard. He hits the shot first time from a tight angle on the left of the box, but Shunin rushes off his line to smother it.
20′ Lukaku is Belgium’s top scorer at major tournaments (World Cup and European Championships), with eight goals in 16 games. Seven of those eight goals have come in the group stages.
18′ It’s a loose pass along the halfway line from Semenov and Lukaku latches onto it before driving forward into the box. Dzhikiya makes a great recovering run to get back and touch it away from the forward just before he can have a shot.
16′ It’s better from Russia now and Fernandes swings a good cross into the box. Dzyuba chests it down before laying it off to Ozdoev on the edge of the box, but he drags his effort wide of the far post.
14′ CHANCE! It’s a good corner into the box from Golovin and Fernandes is unmarked as he throws himself forward to get his head on the ball. It’s a powerful effort but it’s straight at Courtois, who holds onto it.
12′ Russia are keeping the ball well at the moment but all of their possession is in their own half, in front of Belgium. They’re trying to move it upfield quickly, but they can’t find a way into Belgium’s half.
10′ LUKAKU SCORES! It’s poor at the back from Russia as they fail to intercept Mertens’ pass. Semenov can’t sort his feet out and Lukaku latches onto it before firing it into the bottom corner. He was standing in an offside position when the initial pass was played, but the defender’s touch means that the goal stands. 1-0 Belgium!
8′ Russia’s high press catches out Belgium again after Zobni intercepts Hazard’s throw-in. He tries to turn before setting himself for a cross, but Hazard recovers well to win it back.
6′ Russia have struggled to get out of their own half so far, but they get lucky after a loose pass from Dendocker is cut out by Kuzyaev. He threads it through for Dzuyba and he earns a corner after his cross deflects wide off Alderweireld.
4′ Belgium are trying to carve out an early chance here and Tielemans plays a long ball over the top towards Castagne on the right. He can’t catch it in time though and it bounces out of play before he can swing a cross in.
2′ Barinov goes down here holding his head after being sandwiched in between Lukaku and Dzhikiya. The referee quickly waves the medical team on, but the midfielder is able to walk off the field himself to get treatment and he’ll be able to carry on.
1′ Dzyuba gets the game underway for Russia!
The teams are out on the pitch, the national anthems have been sung and kick-off is now just moments away!
None of Belgium’s last 12 games at the European Championships have ended in a draw (W5 L7), a run that started in the 1980 final (1-2 v West Germany).
Stanislav Cherchesov also makes two changes to his team after their friendly win over Bulgaria, bringing Fernandes and Kuzyaev into the side. Karavaev and Ionov start on the bench.
Martinez makes just two changes to the side that beat Croatia in their last friendly match before the tournament. Boyata and Thorgan Hazard are the players that come in, with Denayer and Chadli dropping to the bench.
RUSSIA SUBS: Matvey Safonov, Vyacheslav Karavaev, Denis Cheryshev, Alexander Sobolev, Yuri Dyupin, Roman Evgeniev, Aleksey Miranchuk, Aleksei Ionov, Maksim Mukhin, Rifat Zhemaletdinov, Anton Zabolotny, Igor Diveev.
RUSSIA STARTING XI (4-2-3-1): Anton Shunin; Mario Fernandes, Andrey Semenov, Georgi Dzhikiya, Yuri Zhirkov; Dimitri Barinov, Magomed Ozdoev; Roman Zobnin, Daler Kuzyaev, Aleksandr Golovin; Artem Dzyuba.
BELGIUM SUBS: Matz Sels, Nacer Chadli, Michy Batshuayi, Jeremy Doku, Dennis Praet, Simon Mignolet, Christian Benteke, Thomas Munier, Eden Hazard, Jason Denayer, Thomas Vermaelen, Leandro Trossard.
BELGIUM STARTING XI (3-4-2-1): Thibaut Courtois; Toby Alderweireld, Dedryck Boyata, Jan Vertonghen; Timothy Castagne, Leander Dendoncker, Youri Tielemans, Thorgan Hazard; Dries Mertens, Yannick Carrasco; Romelu Lukaku.
Belgium were the first team to qualify for the tournament, winning all 10 of their games and scoring 40 goals in the process. It’s Roberto Martinez’s second major tournament in charge and he’ll be looking to try and emulate their success from the 2018 World Cup in Russia where they finished third. As for Russia, they finished second in their qualifying group behind today’s opponents. They had an underwhelming Euros in 2016, finishing bottom of their group, but with a solid defensive record behind them, they’ll be feeling much more comfortable this time around.
Hello and welcome to live coverage of the UEFA 2020 Group B clash between Belgium and Russia at the Saint Petersburg Stadium in Russia!
