While the scoreline suggested that Belgium found Panama more taxing than those named in the Panama Papers, the reality is slightly different. While moments of magic from Dries Mertens and Kevin De Bruyne eventually picked the lock, Belgium had spent most of the game to then huffing and puffing in a vain attempt to blow the house down.
They looked oddly tetchy, too: Kevin De Bruyne spent most of the game in a strop, permanently frowning at teammates while Jan Vertonghen gave Yannick Carrasco a very public bollocking in the second-half for falling asleep defensively.
The malcontent with teammates also manifested itself at half time, with Eden Hazard revealing that he berated Romelu Lukaku for "hiding" during the first-half against Panama.
It's not easy playing with a man missing. At half-time, I told him we needed him.
He'd been hiding out a bit up front. But once he got in there, involved in the game, like magic, he scored two.
I hope he understands that now.
Perhaps good captaincy by Hazard - and it had its desired effect with Lukaku scoring twice in the second-half - but it will be interesting to see how their team spirit survives the first bit of adversity they face. Roberto Martinez says he doesn't mind his players roaring at each other on the pitch. ""Any sort of negative word between the players is not a type of attitude that we have. Of course, we want to demand from each other, and that's natural, what happens in a dressing room."
We shall see.
[BBC]
