Romelu Lukaku scores twice as Belgium seal their first win at Euro 2016 with a 3-0 triumph over Republic of Ireland in Bordeaux.
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With Italy already through, their Chelsea-bound head coach Antonio Conte has said he will rest some key players.
Eden Hazard raced forward with the ball to the penalty area and drew the defender, which left Lukaku in acres of space to pick his spot and slot home from Hazard’s pinpoint pass.
Witsel heaped praise on Lukaku, saying his teammate should have been named man of the match instead, for his two goals.
There was a nervy moment for Belgium when Thomas Meunier’s loose back pass towards Thibaut Courtois was nearly pounced on by Shane Long, but aside from that moment, the Irish forward cut a frustrated figure in the first half.
Belgium now in the box seat to progress from Group E with a game to play against Sweden.
The goal seemed to release the pressure on Belgium, who celebrated furiously with Wilmots in the corner while their supporters threw flares onto the pitch. I enjoy my job, I hope to put the kids on the right path and I hope the country is proud of us.
“They pushed us back but my disappointment came from the fact that against Sweden we played exceptionally well with the ball, but today when we had it we looked too nervous and gave it away too readily”.
Wilmots added: “I think the strategy was the good one but it was the players who did it and should be congratulated, but we have nothing yet, we have not qualified”.
Witsel put the contest beyond the Irish 13 minutes later, arriving in the box to head the impressive Thomas Meunier’s cross beyond Darren Randolph, whose outstretched hand could not quite divert the thumping effort wide. We needed to [respond].
Ireland go into their final group game against Italy in Lille next Wednesday with just one point to their name and are likely to have to win against the Azzurri to stand a chance of going through. Today everything we did on the ball was good, our defence was solid, and we forwards did what was expected of us.
“As a team, we had to give a response to everybody who watched the game against Italy”, Hazard said.
“After four years of success, when we get criticism it’s like those last four years disappear”, he said.
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Belgium’s victory in the Group E match in Bordeaux on Saturday came as its much-vaunted attack finally sprang to life after wasting a series of chances in the first half. “We have a hard game to play against Sweden and it’s like a final”.
