Belgium tops Azerbaijan 3-0 in Euro 2008 qualifying

Timmy Simons scored with a penalty in the 24th minute and forward Kevin Vandenbergh added another with a clever clip in the 47th.

Substitute Moussa Dembele added a third in the 81st minute, but the AZ Alkmaar player was sent off for kicking Aslan Karimov four minutes later.

The victory gave Belgium seven points from four games, three less than group leader Serbia. Finland is second with eight points, leaving Belgium in tie with Poland.

Portugal has only four points from three games.

"It'll be exciting. Three points were important to get," Simons said.

Belgium lost at Serbia 1-0 over the weekend.

"We would have done better to come back with one point there," the Belgium captain said.

Simons scored the first goal with a penalty after striker Emile Mpenza had punished a defensive error and was going for goal when goalkeeper Farhad Veliev floored him.

Early in the second half, Vandenbergh put the game away when he chipped over Veliev, punishing another error at the heart of the weak Azeri defense.

Belgium needed to win the game to keep a realistic chance of advancing from Group A. It played the game without standout Vincent Kompany, who injured himself early this week. The Associated Press

/The International Herald Tribune/