After securing a 5-1 victory over New Zealand, which positioned them at the top of Group G and theoretically set them up for an easier last-32 matchup, Belgium’s coach Rudi Garcia appeared visibly frustrated. During a terse post-match press conference, he adjusted the microphone to emphasize his response to the first question.
“I really didn’t appreciate them being called has beens,” he remarked, referencing a piece in La Libre, a French-language Belgian newspaper, which likened Kevin De Bruyne to a faded Hollywood star following a lackluster performance against Iran in their earlier match in Los Angeles.
Garcia expressed his support for his squad, praising the contributions of his “When a nation has players of that calibre, you support them,”: De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, Thibaut Courtois, and Leandro Trossard. The latter played a crucial role, scoring twice against New Zealand; his initial goal marked Belgium’s first self-scored goal of the tournament after an own goal against Egypt, coming after 45 attempts over more than 200 minutes of play.
This tally followed a sequence of comical defending, with Chris Wood and Tim Payne closely marking each other, which allowed Trossard to break through. De Bruyne also scored, Lukaku netted just 56 seconds after entering the match, and Charles De Ketelaere rounded off the scoring. Amidst this comprehensive victory, questions linger about the team’s morale and its implications for Garcia and Belgium.
At a press conference on Tuesday, ahead of their clash with Senegal, Garcia appeared reluctant to discuss whether the recent win had alleviated any pressure, instead directing inquiries to De Ketelaere, who was seated next to him.
“Are you under pressure? Has the game against New Zealand changed anything?” Garcia queried his player. The conversation soon shifted to the early exits of Germany and the Netherlands. De Ketelaere responded, “Yesterday [Monday] showed us that to be favourites or not doesn’t matter,” Garcia then chimed in with a smile, “We wanted to end first in the group and this is what we did,”
Despite some evident vulnerabilities throughout Belgium’s tournament thus far, it is important to note that they have not lost in 16 months, with their last defeat being a 3-1 setback against Ukraine. This match also marked Garcia’s debut in charge. While Belgium’s earlier performances left much to be desired, their unbeaten streak must carry some weight.
Garcia has a fit squad at his disposal, with Jérémy Doku, De Ketelaere, and Lukaku all regaining form, and Zeno Debast poised to make his tournament debut after recovering from a leg injury. If Belgium advances, they may encounter the USA in the round of 16. In a friendly match earlier this year, Belgium outplayed Mauricio Pochettino’s team, winning 5-2. They also maintained an unbeaten record in the qualifiers, scoring 29 goals, including two matches with six goals each and a 7-0 victory over Liechtenstein.
Does their latest decisive win signal the true beginning of their World Cup journey? “I wish we had won more games – all our games – but we are not going to go back to the past. What matters now is that we have progressed out of the group stage and we know that we are playing the strongest third-placed team: Senegal had a very tough group with France, Norway and Iraq and this is probably why they finished third, but it doesn’t matter because if you want to go far in a World Cup you have to defeat good and excellent teams: Senegal is here and we want to progress.” Garcia stated. “It’s not a big advantage,”
Belgium’s victory last match also allowed them to remain in Seattle, where they have been training for the past three weeks at the Seattle Sounders’ facilities in the city’s suburbs.
“I was following young players and I told Robert: ‘You should have a look at this young Senegalese player,’” Garcia commented, acknowledging the formidable challenge posed by Senegal, ranked 18th in the FIFA standings, just eight spots below Belgium. He noted a friendly connection with Senegal’s head coach, Pape Thiaw, from their days together at Saint-Étienne, where Garcia assisted coaches Robert Nouzaret and John Toshack.
“But his career is something that he built – he was a wonderful player and now a wonderful coach. He’s a good man, a good person, but I’m going to defeat him, which is too bad for him … I’m looking forward to seeing him again.”
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