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Tuesday, 19 June 2018 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
REUTERS: Belgium’s creativity and power proved too much for World Cup debutants Panama as the Group G favourites overcame the heroics of goalkeeper Jaime Penedo and a massed defence to run out 3-0 winners on Monday.
It took a wonderful dipping volley from Dries Mertens on the right-hand edge of the area just after halftime to break the deadlock, however, giving Penedo no chance after a first half in which he had defied Mertens, Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukaku.
Hazard laid the ball off to Kevin De Bruyne who flipped a diagonal ball with the outside of his foot through for a lurking Lukaku to head home in the 69th minute. The Manchester United striker made it 3-0 in the 75th, latching on to a through pass from Hazard and chipping over Penedo.
Belgium, unbeaten in their last 20 matches, will now be full of confidence for games against Tunisia and England.
REUTERS: Sweden won an opening World Cup game for the first time since 1958 with a narrow 1-0 victory over South Korea, but they will need to find their shooting boots if they are to match their two other, trickier opponents in Group F.
After dominating the game but missing a string of chances, the Swedes won a 65th-minute penalty when Kim Min-woo brought down Viktor Claesson in the box. Salvadoran referee Joel Aguilar initially waved the Swedes away, before being called to consult the Video Assistant Referee system.
In the second VAR-awarded penalty of the World Cup, Sweden’s 33-year-old captain Andreas Granqvist swept the ball low and left of impressive goalkeeper Cho Hyun-woo.
“The VAR took a while but we are very pleased they had it ... I was pretty sure,” Granqvist said of the wait.
The result brought wild celebrations from hordes of yellow-clad Swedish fans, fearful their team would draw another blank after failing to score in their last three games.
Sweden had not won an opening World Cup game since 1958, when they were the hosts and eventual runners-up. The Asians began the game brighter, harrying for the first 15 minutes against an initially sluggish-looking Sweden.
But the Scandinavians quickly found their poise, coping comfortably with Korea’s attacks despite the absence of defender Victor Lindelof through illness.
Swedish Coach Janne Andersson said the penalty was “crystal-clear”, adding: “I felt the wait for VAR was unnecessary.”
