Belgium beats Finland

St. Petersburg, June 22: Three straight wins, seven goals and its top players with game time in their legs. For Belgium, the group stage at the European Championship could hardly have gone better. The world’s top-ranked team beat Finland 2-0 on Monday to finish in first place in Group B and join Italy and the Netherlands in qualifying with maximum points. Finland finished in third place in its first appearance at a major tournament, nipped by Denmark after its 4-1 victory over Russia in Copenhagen. Belgium’s second goal, scored by Romelu Lukaku in the 81st minute for his third at Euro 2020, could prove significant because it left the Finns as the worst third-place team in the three completed groups. They have only a small chance of qualifying as one of four best third-place finishers. That didn’t stop a vocal section of white-and-blue-clad Finland supporters from staying behind long after the final whistle at Saint Petersburg Stadium to serenade their team. The players eventually came out of their locker room and back onto the field to applaud.