Belgium manager Rudi Garcia spoke to the media after Belgium's 1-2 loss to Spain, which saw them miss out on the FIFA World Cup semi-finals.
On the impact of injuries:
It's certain that with Tielemans unable to start, Courtois injured, and De Bruyne unable to play the full match, the conditions were not favourable for achieving a positive result. However, we came very close to our objective, nearly forcing the match into extra time. The good thing is that we were able to compete directly with Spain. I think they wavered at some point, especially when we equalised.
On Lamens' mistake:
But major tournaments often depend on fine details. So we obviously fully support those players who made mistakes during the game, but against teams of this calibre, you cannot afford to give away chances or make careless errors. Unfortunately, we were eliminated because of these mistakes. This must serve as a lesson, especially for our younger players.
They are full of passion and enthusiasm, but they must also remain composed and think clearly on the pitch. But frankly, I am proud of my players. We demonstrated at this FIFA World Cup that Belgium is a great team. To be honest, we were not far from advancing further, but today our journey ends, and we must accept that.
But in a way, you also ignited the dreams of the Belgians, right? That's a positive aspect.
I hope so. Indeed, after the match against the United States, we saw those images and the fan zone, and that was gratifying. When I started my tenure with the Red Devils, I said I hoped to get all 12 million Belgians to support their national team. I think we have at least achieved that goal. And in the future, we still need the support of the whole country.
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