Kevin De Bruyne scored twice as Belgium secured a 3-1 victory over Israel in a behind-closed-doors UEFA Nations League match held in Hungary, marking a strong start to their campaign.
Several Belgian cities declined to host the game due to security concerns related to the Israel-Gaza conflict.
This follows an incident in October, when a gunman killed two Swedes before Belgium’s Euro 2024 qualifier against Sweden at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels, where most of their matches are played.
In Debrecen, De Bruyne opened the scoring with a sidefooted finish after a cutback from his Manchester City teammate, Jeremy Doku.
Israel equalized when Anan Khalaili’s header deflected off Timothy Castagne and into the net.
Belgium regained the lead three minutes into the second half with a powerful strike from Youri Tielemans, set up by Lois Openda. De Bruyne then added his second goal with a penalty in the 52nd minute.
Belgium earned another penalty four minutes later, but Openda’s attempt was saved.