Henry farewell from Rom
THIERRY HENRY bowed out from his role as Belgium’s assistant manager as he would have wished after a Romelu Lukaku double sealed a farewell win for the Frenchman. Henry is now expected in Monaco this weekend, where he will sign a three-year deal to begin his managerial career at the club where he started out as a player. Belgium boss Roberto Martinez had requested that the former Arsenal great remain with Belgium until after last night’s Nations League fixture against Switzerland. Henry respected Martinez’s wishes and he heads to Monaco with his presentation set to take place early next week. He must now put together his coaching staff, with Arsenal’s Under 18 manager Kwame Ampadu, the father of Chelsea midfielder Ethan, under consideration. Henry has also made preliminary contact with Benfica’s Under 23 coach Joao Tralhao, and he is also hoping to prise coach Julien Stephan away from French club Rennes. Henry will be missed by Martinez and his Belgian squad, who have grown to lean on him for top-level experience — particularly forwards Hazard and Lukaku. This game, which leaves Belgium in control of a group that includes Iceland, marked their first match back in Brussels after their outstanding World Cup, where Martinez’s side finished third and twice beat England. The manager, whose stock has risen since the tournament, was greeted by a rousing ovation and supporters draped over a banner that read ‘Merci’ from the stands. Both Lukaku and Eden Hazard received individual prizes as recognition of their personal efforts in Russia. Both players were to the fore as Belgium started at a rip-roaring pace. Hazard and Youri Tielemans fired wide from distance while goalkeeper Yann Sommer also produced strong saves from Lukaku. The goalkeeper was beaten in the 58th minute, however, when Hazard and Thomas Meunier combined to tee up Lukaku, who stroked a first-time left-foot effort through Sommer. Switzerland equalised when Xherdan Shaqiri clipped over a free-kick and substitute Mario Gavranovic stole in to score from Nico Elvedi’s knockdown. But Belgium rallied, carving Switzerland open as Hazard, Mertens and Lukaku combined for the forward to secure the victory.