Belgium start life under new coach with tough defeat to Ukraine
Belgium lost their first game under new coach Rudi Garcia 3-1 to Ukraine on Thursday night, in the first round of the Nations League play-offs. If they don't win the return leg, they will be relegated to the competition's B group.
It was supposed to be a fresh start for the Red Devils, with a new coach, the return of goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and a number of surprising names in the starting line-up. Despite the changes, Thursday's match proved that Belgium are still struggling with the same problems, as they suffered their fourth straight loss in the Nations League.
Belgium started off on the right foot, ending the first half 1-0 up thanks to a goal from captain Romelu Lukaku. However, Garcia's experimental defensive line-up ran into trouble in the second half, after an individual error led to an equaliser after 66 minutes. The Red Devils collapsed, allowing Ukraine to score two more goals.
'A question of mentality'
Lukaku did not spare his teammates after the game. "It's a question of mentality. We have a mentality problem," he said in a post-match interview. "We have to rebuild from the ground up with this generation, but we can't lose like this. The fans who are here supported us in the warm-up and during the game. This is unacceptable."
"We can't lose like this (...) This is unacceptable."
Coach Garcia, appointed just two months ago, shared Lukaku's analysis. "It surprised me, I have to admit," he said. "In the second half, we collapsed after 1-1. Obviously that's not supposed to happen. Just because you concede a goal doesn't mean you should stop playing football."
The defeat means the Red Devils must overturn a two-goal deficit to stay in the Nations League's top division. The Frenchman is hoping for a response from his side in Sunday's return leg. "We are a great team, we should be able to make this right," he said.
© BELGA PHOTO VIRGINIE LEFOUR
Related news
