Belgium vs. Italy: Score and Twitter Reaction from 2015 Friendly

Top-ranked Belgium earned a 3-1 victory over Italy in a friendly at King Baudouin Stadium on Friday. Jan Vertonghen, Kevin De Bruyne and Michy Batshuayi scored for the Red Devils.

The sides played the clash with makeshift lineups as the coaches tinkered with different options, both in terms of players and formations. That's what friendlies are for, after all. But that didn't take away from the entertainment value as the match moved at a good pace with numerous chances for both squads.

Italy head coach Antonio Conte admitted before the fixture that his roster decisions were based mostly on getting a look at certain players, with tough decisions looming for UEFA Euro 2016. The wide gap between international fixtures after next week made this a key showcase for those on the fringe, as Conte noted, per Goal.com:

"

These are important tests and we must not make mistakes if we are to find a 23-man group who can handle a European Championship or World Cup. That choice is the most important of all. I will not be able to see these players again until March and cannot give them vital input, so we will see what response we get from the game and make evaluations.

"

His group started the match as though a lot more were on the line.

Antonio Candreva gave the Azzurri a lead less than three minutes into the game. They strung several passes together on a quick counter-attack, with the ball eventually ending up on the foot of Graziano Pelle. Simon Mignolet stopped Pelle's initial effort, but Candreva fired home the rebound.

Not only did the tally give Italy an early edge, but it also set a record, per OptaPaolo:

The lead didn't last long, however, as the hosts leveled the score just 10 minutes later.

De Bruyne whipped a well-placed corner into the middle of the box, and an unmarked Vertonghen easily found the corner of the net with a header. Allowing the Tottenham defender to get so wide-open was a serious defensive breakdown by the Italians.

Giorgio Chiellini was the closest defender, but Arjun Pradeep noted Leonardo Bonucci also made the mistake of leaving the void that Vertonghen stepped into:

More suspect defending from the Azzurri gifted the Red Devils two great scoring chances late in the first half. Yannick Ferreira Carrasco found the net but was deemed offside, and Romelu Lukaku couldn't set his feet in time to get his shot away on a break, allowing Chiellini to recover for the key block.

The half-time whistle came at the right time for an Italian squad that had started chasing the game after a strong start.

One of the biggest highlights from the opening 45 minutes had nothing to do with the scoreline, as Bleacher Report UK showed:

Italy nearly grabbed the lead shortly after the hour mark on a play that was picture-perfect until the final touch. Roberto Soriano sent a through ball to Eder, but the forward couldn't get the right touch as his effort struck the crossbar.

John Solano of Roma Press doesn't believe the Sampdoria striker will be getting many more opportunities with the national squad:

"

We're going to look back in a few years and laugh at the fact people actually rated Eder and that he played for the Azzurri

— John Solano (@Solano_56) November 13, 2015"

The miss proved to be more frustrating once Belgium grabbed the lead in the 74th minute. De Bruyne created some space in the area and made no mistake while slotting the shot by Gianluigi Buffon to give Belgium their first lead of the match.

Squawka Football spotlighted the Manchester City star's strong international form:

Batshuayi added another to secure the victory for the Red Devils. Italy did generate some pressure over the final five minutes but couldn't find another goal.

Belgium celebrated the victory:

WhoScored.com provided the final stats:

Looking ahead, Italy will return home to face Romania on Tuesday. Expect more of the same from Conte as he works on various tactics while also doing critical player evaluations. High-profile friendlies with Spain and Germany await in March as the build-up to Euro 2016 heats up.

Belgium will stay home for another marquee matchup as they welcome a star-studded Spanish side for a friendly. Despite Friday's triumph, the Red Devils will look to improve their finishing after letting some promising opportunities slip away against the Azzurri.

Post-Match Reaction

Italy provided comments from midfielder Claudio Marchisio, who emerged happy with the team's attacking effort despite letting the match slip away:

Conte doesn't want his squad to spend much time thinking about this result, according to the Azzurri:

Italy did play a more competitive game than the final scoreline would suggest. That said, there's definitely a lot of room for improvement heading into Tuesday's matchup with Romania and it starts with severely cutting down the basic mistakes along the back line.