Belgium boss Roberto Martinez has said that he is proud of his players after they secured a place at next year's World Cup in Russia.

On Sunday night, Belgium registered a 2-1 victory over Greece to become the first European nation - aside from hosts Russia - to qualify for the tournament, which will be held next summer.

Martinez has acknowledged that the Red Devils were not at their best in Piraeus, but the former Everton manager revealed that he was impressed with their fighting spirit as they netted twice in the final 20 minutes.

The 44-year-old is quoted by the Daily Mail as saying: "We must be proud about being the first from Europe to qualify and now look to work harder to become better.

"It was clear that we didn't play well, we weren't ourselves. But the game was only about winning, it was like a cup final. It was not about playing good football. We had to win, in whatever manner we could. The first half of the game was probably the worst football we've played in this campaign.

"I was really proud with the way the players fought. There were a few that really stood up (Thibaut) Courtois, (Kevin) De Bruyne, Vertonghen, (Marouane) Fellaini. It is a real team and I can only but be proud of them.

"The players were not pleased at half-time and from their reaction you can see we are creating a winning team. They showed character, inspired one another and wanted to win. In a few weeks no one will remember how we did it."

Belgium are considered to be one of the contenders for next year's tournament, despite not progressing past the quarter-finals since 1986.