Hazard confident in Belgium's future despite elimination

Belgium's Euro 2016 standout Eden Hazard remains confident for the future of his country's side, despite crashing out of the quarter-finals courtesy of a harrowing loss to Wales.

The Red Devils were outclassed in the second stanza of Friday's clash, bowing out red-faced after a 3-1 reverse. It was a result at odds with what many predicted for a promising team, particularly following a lesson learned two years ago in a World Cup last-eight elimination.

But Marc Wilmots' squad was the fourth youngest at the tournament, so Hazard insists that time is still on its side.

"We're going to keep working with the aim of winning things in future," the 25-year-old said.

"In two years there is a World Cup. That's another objective, so we'll think about that, about qualification, then there's a Euro in 2020. We have a young team so we can be positive about the future."

Belgium took the lead through a Radja Nainggolan blast from around 30 yards, but Ashley Williams' header ensured the match was level at halftime. Wilmots' decision to then swap Yannick Carrasco with Marouane Fellaini in a tactical tweak at the break has come after close scrutiny as it appeared to unearth the same issues evident in its opening loss to Italy. Goals from Hal Robson-Kanu and Sam Vokes wrapped up the tie for Wales.

Hazard's take was a lot more positive than that of his Chelsea teammate Thibaut Courtois, who questioned Wilmots' changes in a post-match interview.

Related - Courtois hints at clash with Wilmots: 'I gave him my opinion' after loss

"We played a great first 20 minutes," Hazard reflected. "At the end of the match we all said that we would have liked to continue because we have a lot of quality, but they played with more desire than us today. They have many players who play in the English league.

"There is a lot of desire, a lot of contact, today we had a very young team. Youth is great but sometimes if you have a lack of experience it can show."

Belgium returns to the pitch in September when it begins its World Cup qualification bid against Cyprus. Whether Wilmots will be at the helm then remains to be seen though, after the former FC Schalke 04 midfielder oversaw another tournament blighted by inconsistency.