De Bruyne double helps Belgium beat Turkey and put Italy’s semi-final hopes at risk

Belgium returned to winning ways in the UEFA Nations League 2027 with a 3-0 victory over Turkey, a result that strengthened their position in Group A and increased the pressure on Italy.

Kevin De Bruyne scored twice before substitute Romelu Lukaku completed the win at the Maurice Dufrasne Stadium on Friday. The result came in the third round of the group stage and followed Belgium’s defeat by France in their previous match.

Belgium made the stronger start and took the lead after 10 minutes. De Bruyne showed excellent close control to evade a Turkey defender before sliding a low finish into the bottom-left corner of the goal.

The midfielder doubled Belgium’s advantage in the 60th minute. Yuri Tielemans played the ball to De Bruyne, who unleashed a powerful strike from outside the penalty area that the Turkey goalkeeper could not keep out.

Lukaku came off the bench and added the third goal 14 minutes later. Charles De Ketelaere supplied a low cross, which the forward converted with his right foot to seal a convincing victory for the hosts.

The result ended Belgium’s run of defeats after they were beaten 1-0 by France in their previous outing, conceding in the closing stages.

Belgium’s victory moved them on to six points, leaving them second in the group, one point behind France. The two sides are due to meet on Monday in a match that could have a significant bearing on the group standings.

Belgium are now above Italy, who have four points in third place. The result leaves the Azzurri at risk of missing out on a place in the semi-finals.

Turkey, meanwhile, suffered their third consecutive defeat and remain bottom of the group without a point.