Belgium 9-0 Gibraltar: Eden Hazard starts and scores while Romelu Lukaku and Thomas Meunier hit hat-tricks but Axel Witsel is shown straight red card

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Belgium stayed firmly on course to reach the 2018 World Cup after wing back Thomas Meunier scored three goals and delivered as many assists in their 9-0 Group H qualifying demolition of Gibraltar on Thursday.

Romelu Lukaku also scored a hat-trick as the Belgians remained in the group's driving seat with 19 points from seven games, six more than second-placed Greece who were held to a 0-0 home draw by Estonia.

Belgium's victory matched their biggest competitive margin - a 10-1 mauling of San Marino in a 2002 World Cup qualifier.

Eden Hazard marked his first appearance of the season with a goal as Belgium beat Gibraltar

Hazard has not featured for Chelsea this term but he played for 77 minutes in a 9-0 victory

Manchester United striker Romelu Lukaku continued his fine form with three goals

But right wing back Thomas Meunier was the star of the show as he also scored a hat-trick

And they might have made history but for a moment of madness from their midfielder Axel Witsel

He was sent off for a wild lunge on San Marino's Jamie Bosio near the centre circle after scoring the game's most spectacular goal.

Witsel netted the home side's fourth in the 27th minute with an acrobatic overhead kick after a pinpoint cross by the outstanding Meunier.

But 14 minutes later he received his marching orders from Irish referee Neil Doyle.

Apart from making his team mates do his work in the second half, Witsel is certain to pick up a suspension and miss Belgium's next qualifier away to Greece.

Visiting goalkeeper Deren Ibrahim made several good saves eary on as Belgium predictably besieged Gibraltar's goal.

But the floodgates opened after he spilled a tame Dries Mertens cross through his legs and the ball trickled over the line. 

PSG man Meunier had only scored one international goal prior to this one-sided match

But he displayed the finishing skills of a top striker at the Stade Maurice Dufrasne

It was an up-and-down night for Belgium midfielder Axel Witsel, who scored on 27 minutes

Witsel was shown a straight red card less than 15 minutes later for a foul on Jamie Bosio

The hosts were 6-0 up at halftime, with Lukaku bagging two goals and Eden Hazard, who made his first competitive start of the season after shaking off an ankle injury, also scoring.

Although outnumbered on the pitch, Belgium rarely let the visitors out of their own half and missed a string of chances either side of Meunier's double, which made the score 8-0.

A record-breaking win seemed to be on the cards after Lukaku scored an 84th-minute penalty, with Gibraltar defender Erin Barnett sent off for a professional foul, but the home side missed another pair of sitters in the closing stages.

Dries Mertens scored the game's first goal and celebrated with Hazard

Lukaku, who completed the scoring with a penalty, has now scored seven goals in four games

Hat-trick heroes Lukaku and Meunier congratulated each other with a cuddle