England vs. Belgium: Score, Highlights, Twitter Reaction and Analysis

England earned a 1-0 victory over Belgium at Wembley Stadium on Saturday in their final international friendly before they start their Euro 2012 competition on Monday against France.

Danny Welbeck scored the match's only goal in the 36th minute, with a sensational finish after an average first-half performance as a squad from the Three Lions.

Belgium controlled a lot of the game and even had more possessions. However, the English defense was rock-solid for 90 minutes.

The victory will give the Three Lions some confidence heading into an important European Championships in which the team is under immense pressure to perform well.

Let's recap England's victory over Belgium on Saturday.

Best Tweets

CNN's Piers Morgan was impressed with the young players on the English squad:

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Great goal. I like the youthful energy in this team. #England

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"— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) June 2, 2012"

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Tom Cleverley enjoyed seeing his Manchester United teammate, Welbeck, open the scoring:

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Yesss welbz and no shock Youngy is directly involved in another England goal!

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"— Tom Cleverley (@tomclevz23) June 2, 2012"

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Paul Hayward of the Daily Telegraph outlined his plan for England's squad:

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A Chelsea defence and a Man Utd front-line looks like being England's best hope for Ukraine.

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"— Paul Hayward (@_PaulHayward) June 2, 2012"

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ESPN Soccernet talked about Roy Hodgson's plan:

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England: Shape kept, goal stolen, All part of the Hodgson plan. It isn't pretty, but it might just be effective.

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"— ESPN Soccernet (@ESPNSoccernet) June 2, 2012"

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And Sky Sports Mobile shared with us a moment that happened before the match:

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England's 100 cap men honoured on the pitch - Beckham, Charlton, Moore, Shilton and Billy Wright, not a bad five-a-side team #100CAPCLUB

— Sky Sports Mobile (@SkySportsMobile) June 2, 2012"

Must-See Highlight

Watch Welbeck's exquisite finish for the opening goal:

Grades for Key England Players

Danny Welbeck: B+

Welbeck will be a key component of England's attack while Manchester United teammate Wayne Rooney serves his two-match ban during the group stage of the European Championships.

The young forward scored the game's first goal with a clinical finish to give England an early advantage that they would never relinquish. It was an impressive performance overall for a player Hodgson can trust heading to Ukraine and Poland.

Joe Hart: B+

The England goalkeeper was impressive yet again for the Three Lions, and he will be one of the most important players for England at the Euros.

Hart made six saves against the Belgians and was once again a reliable presence at the back.

Grades for Key Belgium Players

Jan Vertonghen: B-

The young Belgian centre-back started at left-back for his team against England, and he was caught out of position a few times.

Overall, it was an average performance. Vertonghen will need to play better than that if he ever wants to make an impact in the Premier League.

Moussa Dembele: B+

The Belgian midfielder was fantastic against England and was one of the main reasons why Belgium controlled the possession battle throughout the match.

Dembele proved why he would be a valuable addition to a Premier League club needing a creative playmaker in the transfer window.

Man of the Match: Ashley Cole

The England and Chelsea left-back was phenomenal at the back and showed why his strong defense will be a major part of the Three Lions' title hopes at the Euros. Against Belgium, Cole did a fine job of preventing the Belgian forwards from having too many quality chances to shoot on Hart.

Just like he was in the Champions League final, Cole was a reliable and efficient player in all areas of the pitch.

What's Next?

Belgium did not qualify for Euro 2012. England will play on Monday, June 11 in their first group stage match of Euro 2012 against a much-improved France team.

Follow Nicholas Goss on Twitter.