It is enough to see the heads of Thomas Meunier, seated and shot on the lawn and of Romelu Lukaku, furious at his performance and gone to explode a Plexiglas with a punch, to realize the dismay of the Belgians after their draw against Croatia (0-0). Announced among the favorites for this 2022 World Cup, Belgium did not do better than third in his group and will therefore have to watch the rest of the competition in front of the television. But contrary to the experience in Russia, four years ago, no “seum” on the program. The Golden Generation of Roberto Martinez, resigned after this fiascois this time KO standing, on the verge of handing over.
Who will retire?
Some executives like Toby Alderweireld have clearly cast doubt on the rest of their international career. “Jan Vertonghen and I have been heavily criticized lately. We showed against Croatia what we are really worth. It cost us energy to fight against the critics. I don’t know if I will continue. I gave everything for the national team for 15 years. I will talk about it with my family. » A few moments later, Jan Vertonghen however brought a first downside by indicating that he did not ask himself as many questions as his partner in defense. “Yes, we showed that we are still players who are there for the team. »
Stunned, the Belgians are also aware that they have made too many mistakes to hope for better. “It’s especially in the first games that we miss the qualification, especially the second. Today we had chances, more than in the first two games combined, and we didn’t score. If you don’t score, you don’t win. We are proud to be Belgians, we have given everything. You don’t have to be friends (with all his teammates, editor’s note) to win. You don’t have a team with 26 friends. You have to have the right mentality, get on the field to win.continues Vertonghen.
Asked about this debacle, Michy Batshuayi did not hide his frustration either: “I am a striker and I would have liked to do my job and score, help the team. It’s disappointing to go out like this. We only won once, but Belgium had to play better. We were surprised by Roberto Martinez’s announcement, he told us that while crying. There are a lot of players who cried, it’s the last for some players, it’s the World Cup, it’s not a friendly match. It’s every four years and it’s normal that there are a lot of regrets.admitted the former player of Olympique de Marseille.
Disappointed, but lucid
Very little used by Martinez, Jérémy Doku, meanwhile, pointed to the finishing concerns. “It’s over, it’s a shame, we wanted to go much further, for us, for the Belgian people, for everyone. We are all disappointed that it is already over. We played better. The finish was missing. We had the chances and if we put them in the back, we won. It’s a shame, we feel that today we are starting to find our rhythm, that’s why we are all disappointed. Sometimes we are unlucky. If we put our chances at the bottom, it was over.he told the RTBFbefore having a thought for Romelu Lukaku, much criticized after his huge missed opportunities. “He had chances, but it’s not just him, it’s everyone, we all tried to put ourselves in the best positions to score. Yes, he missed chances, but I don’t think it was his fault. We all wanted to win, we all knew what had to be done. »
Finally, Thorgan Hazard did not hide the disappointment of the Belgian group, but Eden’s little brother wanted to be optimistic for the future. “Heads were low in the locker room. We gave everything in this last match, but not necessarily in the first two. In the first match, we didn’t play well, but we won and in the second, we lacked the desire. Today, we had a good match, but he failed to take chances. We are disappointed. We were the favorites of this group and we didn’t perform well enough. This bit of luck was not with us tonight with many chances and scrambles. It didn’t turn out much. With Lukaku, we had a good point of support in front to allow us to go into the rectangle. Today, it is disappointment that prevails and the new generation will have to be taken into account for future years. » A page will undoubtedly turn in the history of the Belgian selection.
