Chelsea fans will be delighted after star player Eden Hazard returned to form while on international duty with the Belgian national team.
Hazard and Chelsea had fired blank in the last game before the international break.
The Blues were beaten 2-0 by Everton in their Premier League meeting on Sunday evening as Chelsea missed out on the chance to close the gap on their rivals for a top-four spot.
Hazard responded to that disappointment with Chelsea by scoring a brace to help Belgium to a 3-1 home win over Russia in the first game of their Euro 2020 qualifiers.
The 28-year-old scored either side of the halftime interval to give Belgium the win in their Group I clash with the Russians after Youri Tielemans’ 14th-minute strike was cancelled out by Russian forward Denis Cheryshev who capitalised on a mistake from Thibaut Courtois in goal for the hosts.
Russia’s equaliser came two minutes after the opening goal from Leicester City midfielder Tielemans.
Hazard was then brought down in the box on the stroke of halftime and he made no mistake from the resulting penalty to give Belgium the lead for the second time.
Belgium wrapped up the win with two minutes left on the clock before the visitors were reduced to 10 men in added time when Aleksandr Golovin was sent off for two yellow cards.
Richard Such is a veteran sports journalist and the Senior Managing Editor at 234sport. With over a decade of experience covering the NFL, NBA, and European football, Richard specializes in breaking news, contract analysis, and hard-hitting sports commentary. Under his editorial direction, 234sport has grown into a premier destination for die-hard sports fans worldwide.
