Aston Villa midfielder Youri Tielemans has been hailed by the Belgian press for his heroics on international duty.
Tielemans scored twice as Belgium trounced Liechtenstein 6-0 in Vaduz on Thursday evening, rounding off a dominant display as captain.
Appointed the Red Devils’ new skipper, Tielemans led his side out for a game that was expected to end in a resounding victory – and it became so. Despite a disappointing first half with only one goal, Belgium eventually lived up to expectations by adding a further five more in the second period, two of which came from Tielemans.
It was a superb night for Villa’s number eight as he netted a sumptuous volley to make it 2-0 in the 46th minute before putting his team five ahead in the 70th with a composed penalty. Maxim De Cuyper, Arthur Theate, Kevin De Bruyne and Malick Fofana scored the rest of Belgium’s goals at Rheinpark Stadion.
Tielemans lauded by Belgian press
Plenty of praise came Tielemans’ way after the rout in Liechtenstein. Belgium fans and Villa supporters can certainly relate when it comes to the midfielder’s capabilities. Tielemans may not have been in the best form to start the new Premier League season, along with the rest of his Villa teammates, but he certainly didn’t struggle on his first outing of his international duty.
One of Belgium’s national newspapers, Het Laatste Nieuws, described his goal and overall performance. An excerpt from the publication’s match report reads: “Captain Youri Tielemans made it 0-2 after 23 seconds with a magnificent volley, A classy goal. It was one to remember, a volley in one go. His shooting largely compensated for the new captain's poor first half. He also converted his penalty well.”
Meanwhile, Niuewsblad gave Tielemans an eight out of 10 in its player ratings, writing: “Ay Ay Captain. Youri Tielemans celebrated his permanent captaincy with a fine goal and a penalty. The first was a beautiful volley into the corner for 0-2, and the 0-5 was neatly slotted home from the spot. It was also his 11th and 12th goal for Belgium.”
La Libre Belgique agreed with the eight out of 10 score. “Like a good captain, Youri Tielemans was determined to shake things up... and in style,” it’s report read. “25 seconds after the restart, the Aston Villa player fired a missile that recalled his Anderlecht days. A true gem that had the gift of waking up the Red Devils.”
Tielemans not the only Villa player to score
Another Villan joined Tielemans in scoring for his country on Thursday night. Matty Cash, turning out for Poland, netted a stunning 80th-minute equaliser to clinch a 1-1 draw away in the Netherlands. It wasn’t just any goal, either, it was an absolute belter to earn Poland a pivotal point in the World Cup qualifiers.
Cash recycled possession on the edge of the area after a mix-up between some Dutch defenders and took one touch to steady himself before rocketing the ball into the near top corner. From a tight angle, Cash had no right to score but did so emphatically. Unai Emery will be hoping both Tielemans and Cash can take confidence from their goals to help Villa after the break.
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