Belgium would do well not to arrive in full force this evening in Budapest. A defeat by two goals and the Nations League B will await the Red Devils.
On Thursday, Belgium lost all its chances of reaching the quarter-finals of the Nations League. But the play-offs for remaining in League A are not yet 100% certain. Indeed, one scenario would see Israel qualify at the expense of the Red Devils.
For that, we would have to lose by… more than two goals in Budapest against Israel. Let’s not beat around the bush: it would be one of the biggest poor performances in the recent history of Belgian football, to be put in the same basket as the 5-2 defeat in Switzerland and the elimination by the Country of Wales in the quarter-final of Euro 2016.
However, the dynamics seem very different: Israel remains in a good draw (0-0) in France, while Belgium is more broken and demoralized than ever. “A B team? No, I don’t think so. Belgium still has very good players and the replacements will want to show themselves,” says Ran Ben Shimonthe Israel coach, in a pre-match press conference.
Imagining the Israelis crushing the Red Devils after being beaten 3-1 in the first leg seems unrealistic, but we must not forget that Belgium did not shine in Debrecen. “Our goal is to win this match,” proclaims Ben Shimon.
“We didn’t do badly in September in Debrecen; until the 77th minute, we could hope for a draw,” said the Israel coach. The Devils have been warned: you will have to avoid conceding quickly, and even if possible score quickly, so as not to start trembling. Because after all, who knows…
Related News :