evin De Bruyne struck twice and Romelu Lukaku added a third as Belgium handed Türkiye a 3-0 defeat in Liege on Friday, leaving the Crescent-Stars without a point after three UEFA Nations League matches.
Belgium went ahead through De Bruyne, who exchanged passes with Dodi Lukebakio before finishing from the edge of the box in his 127th international appearance.
Türkiye responded by pushing forward and posed an attacking threat but failed to turn their opportunities into an equalizer.
De Bruyne punished the visitors again, curling a shot from the edge of the area beyond goalkeeper Uğurcan Çakır and into the top corner.
"I try to lead by example for the younger players, and they follow easily," De Bruyne said. "I feel I can still contribute. I am enjoying myself, and that is the main thing."
Lukaku, Belgium's all-time leading scorer, came off the bench in the 61st minute and completed the scoring 15 minutes later.
Charles De Ketelaere delivered a low cross into the area, where Lukaku converted from close range to seal the victory.
Belgium coach Mark van Bommel praised De Bruyne's form but acknowledged his side had allowed Türkiye opportunities during the match.
"Kevin De Bruyne always wants to play," Van Bommel said. "Italy, France, today. He is in a really good groove. He is radiating joy, and you can see that in the goals he is scoring."
Van Bommel said he was pleased with the result despite Belgium occasionally losing control in possession and allowing Türkiye to threaten.
The defeat was Türkiye's third in as many Group A1 matches, leaving the national team bottom of the standings without a point.
Belgium moved to six points and remained one point behind group leaders France.
Türkiye were also dealt a setback ahead of their next match after Arda Güler and Barış Alper Yılmaz picked up yellow cards while already one booking away from suspension.
Both will miss Türkiye's away match against Italy on Oct. 5.
İlhan Fakılı, meanwhile, made his senior Türkiye debut after receiving his first call-up to the national squad. He entered in the 67th minute in place of Oğuz Aydın.
Lukaku was not the only Süper Lig player to feature for Belgium, with Beşiktaş's Leandro Trossard coming off the bench in the 74th minute.
Elsewhere in Group A1, France were held to a 1-1 draw by Italy in Zinedine Zidane's first home match in charge of Les Bleus.
Michael Olise put France ahead in the 55th minute before Alessandro Bastoni equalized for Italy, ending France's two-match winning run and handing Zidane's side their first conceded goal under the former World Cup winner.
"It was tight, but I'm happy with the performance of my side and what I've seen," Zidane said. "Of course, it's a slightly frustrating result because we perhaps deserved a little more."
In League B, veteran striker Robert Lewandowski scored a hat trick as Poland routed Romania 6-0 in Group 4.
Bosnia-Herzegovina drew 1-1 with Sweden as Edin Dzeko made his 152nd and final appearance for his country.
Northern Ireland beat Ukraine 3-0 on neutral ground in Trnava, Slovakia, with Ciaron Brown scoring twice, while Hungary edged Georgia 1-0.
In League C, Cyprus defeated Armenia 2-0, Montenegro beat Latvia 2-1, Moldova edged Kazakhstan 2-1 and the Faroe Islands held Slovakia to a 1-1 draw.
