September 06, (THEWILL) – Belgium claimed a comfortable 3-1 victory against Israel in their opening match of the 2024/2025 UEFA Nations League campaign. The game took place at the Nagyerdei Stadion in Hungary, with Kevin De Bruyne scoring twice to lead his team to success.
The match began with Israel showing early promise, but Belgium soon took control. De Bruyne opened the scoring in the 21st minute, converting a cross from Jeremy Doku. Israel equalised through an own goal by Timothy Castagne, keeping the score level at half-time.
Belgium dominated the second half, with Youri Tielemans scoring a spectacular goal shortly after the restart. De Bruyne then added a penalty to complete his brace. Despite Ikoma Lois Openda missing another penalty late in the game, Belgium maintained their strong record against Israel, earning their seventh win in eight meetings between the two nations.
The result marks a positive start for Domenico Tedesco’s Belgian side in their quest to improve upon their fourth-place finish in the 2020/2021 edition of the tournament. For Israel, the defeat extends their winless streak against Belgium, which now spans nearly 46 years.
This victory puts Belgium in a strong position in their UEFA Nations League group. The Red Devils displayed their attacking advantage and team cohesion, while Israel showed moments of promise despite the loss.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
