A solid Belgium but fearful of the Ukrainian counterattacks fulfilled its first objective on Wednesday: to qualify for the round of 16 of the Euro. A mission accomplished at the end of a very boring match (0-0), however, where technical accuracy and audacity were not there. As the Red Devils almost missed theirs, arriving at the stadium a full hour before the match despite an escort powerless in the face of traffic and endless traffic jams. Enough to trigger the anger of their coach, Domenico Tedesco, about the organization.
A discontent shared by the Belgian supporters, who began to whistle their own team in the 87th minute. Jan Vertonghen had just made a 40-yard back pass to Koen Casteels. And when, in added time, Kevin De Bruyne kept the ball with Johan Bakayoko at the corner point, the fans were upset. So much so that at the final whistle, the captain asked his troops to skip saluting the followers dressed in red.
“France will be favorite. We know the quality of its players. But it doesn’t do them any good to see that they will play Belgium.”
Amadou Onana, Belgium midfielder
In this strange atmosphere, the Belgians still savored the qualifying moment. “ We passed and that was the most importantsummarizes Amadou Onana, the former LOSC midfielder. It never feels good to hear your supporters whistle. They probably expected us to attack more, but the team gave everything. We need them, their boost. They were great during the first two meetings. Let them be there for the eighth. France will be favorite (Monday). We know the quality of its players. But it doesn’t do them any good to see that they will play Belgium. They know we can be very dangerous. »
Between distrust and ambition
Ten Belgian players present at the Euro have already played in L1. Their knowledge of the Blues is in-depth. There is no doubt that they will seriously prepare for the second of four meetings in four years against France (matches on September 9 and October 14 in the Nations League, after the semi-final of the same competition won by the Blues in Turin, October 7, 2021, 3-2). “ It’s a big team, always present in major tournamentsbelieves Youri Tielemans, ex-AS Monaco player. A neighbor, just like the Netherlands or Germany, against whom we are keen to do well. We lost in 2018 (0-1 in the World Cup semi-finals). We can find reasons for revenge in every match. But they won the tournament. Congratulations to them. »
« We absolutely want to win this match », Yet says Orel Mangala, an OL midfielder whose phone was heating up with his club teammates. For Wout Faes, formerly of Reims, sharp against Ukraine, “ it’s a team with a lot of stars, a big poster. We will have to be 100% if we want to be competitive. We are not afraid. I don’t think the French have played their best football so far but that doesn’t mean anything until the eighth. You can hurt anyone. We’re not bad on defense (1 goal conceded). But we will have to defend as a team and not be alone if we want to stop Mbappé and Dembélé. »
« We’re going there to winconfirms German. We are here to be with the best teams and that is why we are qualified. Everything is possible. We beat Germany (3-2 in a friendly on March 28, 2023). We drew in England (2-2 at Wembley on March 26, 2024). We can challenge everyone. »
