Russia 2018 world Cup : Hazard Plays Down Lukaku Comments

Belgium's Eden Hazard has played down the comments he made about team-mate Romelu Lukaku after their 3-0 win over Panama.

Dries Mertens put Belgium ahead just after the break before a Lukaku double sealed the win in Sochi.

Belgium were criticised for their first-half performance and Hazard said he had to speak to his team-mate at half-time to talk about how he felt he was "hiding up front". He later admitted he did not "regret what he said".

Hazard said: "As the captain, even if I am not the captain I can talk, on the pitch I try to give my best, if I can help players to be better - I will."

"I just told Romelu [Lukaku] if we want to win the game we need him, not just as a scorer to score goals, but we want him to be involved in the build-up.

"We just talked normally and we won the game in the end so it was fine."

Hazard had told the BBC "it was not easy playing with a man missing" but when he was in the game he created some "magic".

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