Belgium relish World Cup chance

Belgium were unfortunate to see their UEFA European Under-17 Championship campaign end in the semi-finals back in May - but from Monday they have another chance to shine when they make their FIFA U-17 World Cup debut.

'Unique experience'
The young Red Devils impressed as hosts of the European finals in May, losing an epic semi to Spain on penalties having conceded a late equaliser to Bojan Krkić. Now they can look forward to World Cup Group E encounters with Tunisia, Tajikistan and the United States, and coach Bob Browaeys is delighted at the opportunity. "Our main aim always is to give players at this age experience to use in their future careers," Browaeys told uefa.com. "Now that we have reached our goal of qualifying for the World Cup the players will get another unique experience they will keep with them for the rest of their lives."

Familiar lineup
Browaeys has been preparing his team hard prior to travelling east, beating K. Standaard Wetteren 4-1 before losing 2-1 to fellow World Cup entrants France in Chantilly. The squad will be familiar in the main to those who watched them in the European finals, with defender and captain Dimitri Daeseleire one of seven KRC Genk representatives. Their key man, LOSC Lille Métropole playmaker Eden Hazard, was many people's player of the tournament in May.

Hazard thrill
No sooner had he returned from the European finals than Hazard was given a three-year professional contract by Lille, and he is looking forward to the World Cup. "At the European Championship we had some great experiences against the best nations and best players in Europe," Hazard said. "Now we can even have more experiences against the word's leading nations."