Hazard and Courtois cruise to victory

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Eden Hazard and Thibaut Courtois left Saint Petersburg Stadium with a 1-4 win over Russia to maintain first place in Group I.

The first 45 minutes was an example of a true Hazard masterclass as the No. 10 continues with his good performances, assisting brother Thorgan Hazard for the first goal and then scoring two himself.

Although Belgium held most of the possession, Russia started putting on more pressure in the second. Courtois made a very reactive save to stop Daler Kuzyaev from scoring but an unmarked Georgiy Dzhikiya put the rebound into the net. The match however, should still stand as a confidence booster for the goalkeeper.

Bale in action

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Gareth Bale was back repping the Welsh dragon during their 0-2 win over Azerbaijan despite being criticized for not training with his club.

In a press conference prior to the game, Bale responded to reports from the Spanish press confirming that the simple reason behind him playing for Wales despite not training with Real Madrid was due to the calendar.

“I think it’s kind of a coincidence that the national team has come around this week and I’ve kinda returned to full training,” said Bale. “If I’m fit, no matter where I am, I’m going to try and play whether it be Wales or Madrid.”

Though he was not on the score sheet, Bale acted as a leader on the pitch for the young squad and still looked lively when trying to help his team attack. He only played for an hour before being substituted off for teammate Aaron Ramsey. Group E is now becoming a close race.

Kroos helps Germany stay first

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In their new look kits, Toni Kroos and the rest of the German National Team scored four goals against Belarus to stay first in Group C ahead of the Netherlands.

His performances in the midfield haven’t dropped at all and he’s having one of his better seasons for both club and country.

Specifially in this match, the midfield machine was on top form and had one heck of a performance on the pitch assisting Leon Goretzka’s goal and scoring two of his own. One of which happened to be a classic Kroos goal from the edge of the box.

Croatia stay unbeaten

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Croatia fought back from a 0-1 deficit against Slovakia to eventually win 3-1 and keep their unbeaten streak alive.

The first half was a difficult one for the team and Modric himself didn’t have the best 45 minutes on the pitch but both managed to click into gear for the second half.

In terms of individual efforts, the No. 10 was a able to assist Bruno Petkovic from a corner for Croatia’s second, and technically winning goal.

Though his experience on the pitch helped his team achieve a win, the game was another example of the the Croatian’s form has fallen slightly and the competition to regain a start in Real Madrid’s starting XI might continue.