Leuven (Belgium) (AFP)

Belgium approached their first Nations League "Final 4" by beating England 2-0 on Sunday in Leuven, three days away from a Group 2 "final" against Denmark.

Winning thanks to goals from Youri Tielemans and Dries Mertens, Belgium kept the lead in their group, still two points ahead of the Danes, who defeated Iceland 2-1.

But inside the King Power Stadium, the Red Devils have hardly been sovereign in the face of His Majesty's subjects.

From the start of the match, the Three Lions rushed to attack the Belgian fortress, facing hosts who have not lost any points in their qualifying campaign for Euro-2020.

And who more legitimate contender than England to overthrow the kings of the Fifa ranking?

In October at Wembley, Gareth Southgate's men inflicted a 2-1 defeat on the Belgians, already in the Nations League.

However, on their first opportunity, it was the locals who opened the scoring.

Ten minutes after kick-off, Romelu Lukaku slipped a millimeter pass between the legs of an English defender.

Helped by a favorable rebound and the right post from Jordan Pickford, Youri Tielemans opened the scoring with a powerful shot from outside the rectangle.

- Well paid -

Not enough to discourage the English, carried by a restless Jack Grealish - and martyred by the Belgian defenders - and a Harry Kane in all the right moves, failing to convert them into goals.

From the 12th minute, equality could have been restored if Lukaku had not saved his camp with the head, on the line of Thibaut Courtois.

Aggressive, unable to combine, the Belgians did not manage to develop their licked game and therefore relied on an iron defense, rapid counter-attacks ... and the formidable precision of Dries Mertens.

In the 24th minute, the top scorer in the history of Naples filed a free kick to 20 meters flush with the Pickford post, enough to double the viaticum of the Red Devils.

The English were not resigned to the image of Kane, author of a too soft strike at ground level (57th), and of Grealish (67th), who sent the ball slightly above Courtois' goal but failed to pick up.

Third in Group 2 with 7 points, five less than the Belgians and three less than the Danes, the English will play a game without a stake on Wednesday against Iceland.

Happy winners on Sunday, the Red Devils will have to be wary of Denmark, which emerged on the line against Iceland (2-1) after being joined in the score in the 85th minute.

© 2020 AFP