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Belgium 2 England 0: Meunier, Hazard make history for Martinez's entertainers

Thomas Meunier and Eden Hazard combined to secure Belgium's best performance at a World Cup as they edged England 2-0 in the third-place play-off in St Petersburg on Saturday.

Having fallen one match shy of a maiden final appearance in Tuesday's slim 1-0 defeat to France, the Red Devils' vaunted golden generation lifted themselves off the canvass to improve upon the fourth-place finish managed by Enzo Scifo, Jan Ceulemans and company in 1986.

Meunier was the unlikely hero early on as his close-range finish in the opening exchanges denied England what would have been their best tournament result since lifting the trophy 52 years ago.