Belgium rise to No 1 ranking with win

In Brussels, Mertens broke the deadlock in the 64th minute on an assist by De Bruyne, finishing off with a low shotr.

De Bruyne doubled the lead with 12 minutes to go and Mertens set up Hazard to make it 3-0 six minutes later, meaning an 88th minute strike from Brighton’s Tomer Hemed counted for little.

Even had Israel defeated Belgium it would have missed out on third place and a berth in the playoffs as Bosnia beat Cyprus 3-2. Substitute Milan Djurić then headed in the deciding goal on 67 minutes to assure Mehmed Baždarević’s men of third place in Group B.

“I have not been able to leave my mark on the team”, he said after Cyprus won 2-1 in Jerusalem on Saturday.

Israel’s slim chance of at least securing a third-place playoff spot for qualification to next summer’s Euro Cup in France came to an end on Tuesday.

Milan Djuric netted what would turn out to be the victor for Bosnia, to keep them on course for what could be their first ever European Championship appearance. Eran Zahavi’s effort was well-struck and curling towards the bottom corner, but the hosts’ blushes were saved – especially after a half of such dominance.

“In the second half we just had a dip, but we still scored suddenly three times”.

Belgium took its foot off the gas after that, but Israel struggled to create scoring opportunities. The match was played at the King Baudouín Stadium.

Benefiting from a vast pool of talent, including Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, midfield wizard Eden Hazard and Manchester City’s record signing, Kevin De Bruyne, Belgium reached the quarter-finals at the 2014 World Cup and climbed to fourth in the rankings.

Mertens made amends for his earlier blooper with a sharp finish past Ofir Marciano.