Three goals, stacks of action and the home fans singing as if the Euro silver were already on the sideboard. Happy the tournament blessed by such a start.

Belgium are nobody's idea of champions and they began like a team who would not dream of arguing with that assessment. But they worked at their game, discovered a fine vein of form and ultimately overcame a nation they had failed to beat in almost half a century.

Goals either side of half-time from Bart Goor and Emile Mpenza worked the trick and while the softest of replies from Johan Mjallby gave the Swedes reason to hope, justice was done.

The expulsion of Patrik Andersson for an evil scythe at Goor eight minutes from time merely eased the Belgians' progress. Sweden are an unprepossessing side; huge, athletic and strangely predictable.

Their most interesting boast lay in the strength of their defence, which had not conceded a goal in this competition since Alan Shearer scored after a couple of minutes on a September evening in Stockholm back in 1998.

In truth, it was difficult to imagine the Belgians disrupting that sequence. While they offered the most incisive player afield in Gert Verheyen, operating wide on the right and running with strength and purpose, they seemed to find the reality of playing at home an uncommonly onerous burden.

Then, after 37 minutes, Verheyen forced the first chink, winning space and floating a cross which Mpenza headed high. The crowd came to life and their enthusiasm was riotously rewarded six minutes later.

Roland Nilsson was caught in possession by Goor, who strode on to thump a drive past Magnus Hedman at the near post. The advantage was doubled a few seconds into the second half when Branko Strupar played a cleverly angled ball into the path of Mpenza, who took a couple of strides and exploded an emphatic drive.

The arrival of Henrik Larsson, mercifully recovered from a career-threatening leg break, gave the Swedes new purpose and they received further encouragement when Filip De Wilde in the Belgian goal stumbled over a simple backpass and Mjallby scored the easiest goal we shall see this month.