Togetherness is key for Belgium, says Martinez

MOSCOW, June 19 - Individual brilliance broke Panama's resistance on Monday but for Belgium coach Roberto Martinez the 3-0 win was a victory for a new sense of team solidarity as his squad of precocious talents eyes World Cup glory.

Dries Mertens's looping volley two minutes after the break was vital to settle nerves and frustration as Belgium spent a seventh successive World Cup opener with nothing on the board at halftime.

"It gives you a lot of breathing-space," Martinez told reporters. "I felt from that point on we were more ourselves, we were more in control."

A double from Romelu Lukaku, ably assisted by Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne, finished off the Central Americans in their first game at the World Cup finals.

But Martinez, hired two years ago to end a record of under-achievement for a "golden generation" of Red Devils, was as keen to stress his front line's commitment to getting back in defence.

"There are no easy games," he said, giving credit for their defensive composure to a Panama side who will next face England and Tunisia.

"We just got a little bit anxious but I was delighted by the way we defended," he added.

"You couldn't be prouder that they performed as a team and everyone showed that he's ready to help," said the Spaniard, who has brought to the star-studded Belgian set-up the kind of man management ideas he used to get the best out of more modest resources at Everton and Wigan Athletic in the Premier League.

"It was a moment to show maturity, it was a moment to show composure and real togetherness," he said of the halftime break when Jaime Penedo's clean sheet for Panama was testing nerves.

"I was very happy with the commitment of every single player," he said.

"We need to grow. We grew in the second half and now we have to take it to the next game and grow into that."

Tunisia on Saturday and England next Thursday will be very different propositions, he said.

Having stuck determinedly during his campaign with a three-man back line -- bringing in Dedryck Boyata on Monday for the injured Vincent Kompany -- Martinez shifted to four at the back near the end and would do so again.

"It's important to be flexible," he said. "If you are predictable, the opposition can work with that."