Belgium overcomes frustrating 1st half to beat Panama with ease

Belgium got off to a winning start in its World Cup campaign after beating Panama by a 3-0 scoreline in Sochi.

The Red Devils were unable to register on the scoresheet in the opening stanza due to some backs-to-the-wall defending from Panama, but Dries Mertens' neat volley shortly after the break was followed by a six-minute double salvo from Romelu Lukaku.

Lukaku has now scored nine in his last 10 matches for Belgium.

There were some emotional members of the Panama lineup when the national anthem was played prior to kick-off, with captain Roman Torres in tears. It's the Central American country's first appearance in the finals, and there would have been immense pride at how the team resisted Belgium in the first half.

However, Mertens excellently swung his laces at a high ball just two minutes into the second period, and from then on Panama was gradually worn down. Kevin De Bruyne sent a stunning outside-of-the-boot delivery to Lukaku for his first, and then the Manchester United forward streaked away from Torres before dinking the ball over Gianluigi Buffon lookalike Jaime Penedo on 75 minutes.

Eden Hazard was often central to Belgium's play, while Dedryck Boyata - starting while Vincent Kompany and Thomas Vermaelen are nursing injuries - went largely untroubled between Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen.

Belgium faces Tunisia in its next Group G match in Moscow on Saturday.