De Bruyne Double Fires Belgium Past Turkey in Nations League Win
Belgium strengthened their UEFA Nations League A position with a 3-0 win over Turkey at the Maurice Dufrasne Stadium in Liege, where Kevin De Bruyne scored twice before substitute Romelu Lukaku added a late header.
Belgium stay in touch with France
| Category | Detail |
|---|---|
| Result | Belgium 3-0 Turkey |
| Competition | UEFA Nations League A, Group A |
| Belgium points | 6 |
| Group positions | Belgium behind leaders France; Turkey bottom on 0 points |
| Goalscorers | Kevin De Bruyne 2, Romelu Lukaku 1 |
| Career milestone | De Bruyne’s 201st goal |
The result keeps the Red Devils close to France at the top of the section and leaves Turkey still without a point after three consecutive defeats. Belgium’s captain again supplied the decisive quality, taking his career tally to 201 goals with his double before Lukaku completed the scoring from the bench.
Mark van Bommel praised De Bruyne’s form and his influence on the wider squad, pointing to the captain’s willingness to play every international fixture. The Belgium manager said De Bruyne had wanted to feature against Italy, France and Turkey, adding that the midfielder’s enjoyment was evident in the goals he was producing.
Belgium were not entirely satisfied with their command of the match, despite the clean sheet and the three-goal margin. Van Bommel felt his side surrendered possession too readily at times, giving Turkey encouragement during transition moments and allowing the game to become too open.
“I am very happy with a 3-0 victory,” Van Bommel said, while acknowledging that Belgium had lacked sufficient control in certain spells. He said Turkey had been allowed to believe they could create opportunities, but maintained that he never believed his team were in real danger of defeat.
Control remains the next target
Belgium will use the remaining Group A matches to pursue first place, with Van Bommel seeking greater tactical discipline while continuing to bring younger players into a squad led by established figures such as De Bruyne and Lukaku.
Turkey’s immediate priority is to halt their three-match losing run, while Belgium head into the next international window looking to build on a six-point start.
