Rudi Garcia expressed his confidence regarding Belgium’s chances against Spain in the quarter-finals, highlighting a surge of new supporters following Donald Trump’s intervention with FIFA to revoke Folarin Balogun’s red card. He believes this newfound backing will serve as a significant boost for his team. Despite skepticism surrounding their prospects, Garcia remains steadfast in his faith in the squad, particularly with Romelu Lukaku expected to play a crucial role.
Trump stated he reached out to FIFA to lift Balogun’s suspension after the striker received a direct red card during a match against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Although FIFA made the unusual choice to postpone the ban for a year, Belgium achieved a convincing 4-1 victory over the USA. Following this match, the Belgian football federation’s social media channels called for the decision to be overturned, while players humorously mimicked Trump’s dance moves. Garcia reassured Balogun that he should not feel accountable for the advocacy efforts.
This decisive win sets Belgium up to face Spain at Los Angeles Stadium, where a substantial portion of the 80,000-seat venue is anticipated to be occupied by American fans. Nevertheless, Garcia is undeterred by the looming prospect of an unfriendly atmosphere, recalling his team’s prior encounter against the co-hosts in Seattle. He believes they are now stronger and enjoy broader support than ever.
“everyone thinks we are going home” Garcia stated. “We had 12 million Belgian fans, and now, over the last few days, I think we have millions and millions behind us; they have joined our ranks and I think that will be great. I think that will give us incredible strength. I don’t know what [the atmosphere] will be like in the stadium but we will concentrate on what we have to do. We have enough on our plate with the Spanish squad.
“The conditions will only be as difficult as they were in the round of 16,” he added. “They are the best when it comes to possession of the ball, and we know that they have not conceded a goal, but statistics are there to be broken, and we will do what we can to score. If not, we will be sent packing. We are the second highest scoring team at the World Cup. Everyone is talking about us going home, but we can do it.
“Maybe some are discovering our team now, but I know them off by heart. I know their character and what they can do. The quality of the group is not shown when things are going swimmingly; it is shown when we are in hot water. Against Senegal, a team that should never have finished third in a group but had France and Norway with them, we were able to get through. I have two XIs: one that starts the game and one that finishes it, and we have lots of qualities on the bench. I have one of the best strikers of all time there.
Garcia was joined by Lukaku, who jokingly remarked that he was merely acting as a substitute when, in reality, he is expected to start. They discussed the crucial role of Belgium’s all-time leading scorer, particularly after a challenging season where he struggled to secure a starting spot at Napoli.
“We had 12 million Belgium fans and now, over the last few days, I think we have millions and millions behind us; they have joined our ranks and I think that will be great. I think that will give us incredible strength. I don’t know what [the atmosphere] will be like in the stadium but we will concentrate on what we have to do. We have enough on our plate with the Spanish squad. “We know we are playing one of the favourites and we know the strength they have as individuals and as a collective, which has been the case for 15 or 20 years now,”
Garcia acknowledged, a sentiment echoed by Lukaku’s performance.
Although the 33-year-old has only been in the starting lineup once during this tournament, he has already netted three goals and provided an assist. His remarkable record includes scoring every 50 minutes of play, including one against the USA, bringing his total for the national team to an impressive 93 goals. Only Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Ali Daei from Iran, and Sunil Chhetri from India have more international goals than Lukaku, who has reached this milestone at a quicker pace than both Ronaldo and Messi.
“They are the best when it comes to possession of the ball and we know that they have not conceded a goal but statistics are there to be broken and we will do what we can to score. If not, we will be sent packing. We are the second highest scoring team at the World Cup. Everyone is talking about us going home but we can do it. “Maybe some are discovering our team now but I know them off by heart. I know their character and what they can do. The quality of the group is not shown when things are going swimmingly; it is shown when we are in hot water. Against Senegal, a team that should never have finished third in a group, but had France and Norway with them, we were able to get through. I have two XIs: one that starts the game and one that finishes it and we have lots of qualities on the bench. I have one of the best strikers of all time there.” Lukaku explained. “I said ‘OK,’ and here we are. Everything is going well, and we are going to continue like this. We are well prepared physically, mentally, and tactically. I know that I am in this situation because this has been a very hard year. The coach visited me, and we talked for two hours. I know my role for this tournament. It would be crazy, having played just 64 minutes for Napoli, to start every game. It would be self-destructive. It is all about the team. I have to play with my head as well.
“We had lots of chats. When he comes on the opponents are quaking in their boots, they are much more worried,” Lukaku added. “I had a chat with the coach in April and he said I had to be prepared for a certain role,”
