After Belgium’s 5-1 triumph over New Zealand secured their top position in Group G, Rudi Garcia appeared visibly annoyed. During a terse post-match press conference, he adjusted the microphone, signaling his intent to address criticism directly.
“I really didn’t appreciate them being called has beens,” he remarked, referring to a piece in La Libre, a French-language Belgian newspaper, that likened Kevin De Bruyne to a faded Hollywood star following a lackluster performance against Iran in their earlier match in Los Angeles.
Garcia continued, acknowledging the talent of his squad: “When a nation has players of that calibre, you support them,” He particularly commended his “Are you under pressure? Has the game against New Zealand changed anything?” — De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, Thibaut Courtois, and Leandro Trossard, the latter of whom scored twice against New Zealand. Trossard’s opening goal marked Belgium’s first self-scored goal in the tournament after 45 attempts, following an own goal against Egypt.
This breakthrough was preceded by some humorous defending, with Chris Wood and Tim Payne inadvertently marking one another closely, allowing Trossard to score. De Bruyne also found the net, while Lukaku headed in just 56 seconds after coming off the bench, with Charles De Ketelaere adding the final touch. The question arose: where does this resounding victory leave Garcia and his team?
On Tuesday, at a press conference before their upcoming match against Senegal, Garcia seemed reluctant to discuss whether the commanding win had alleviated any pressure, instead turning to De Ketelaere, who sat next to him.
“Yesterday [Monday] showed us that to be favourites or not doesn’t matter,” Garcia posed to his teammate. The topic of early exits for Germany and the Netherlands surfaced as well. De Ketelaere responded: “We wanted to end first in the group and this is what we did,” Garcia then chimed in, saying, “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.” while smiling.
Despite the negativity surrounding Belgium’s tournament performance so far, it’s essential to remember that they haven’t lost in 16 months, with their last defeat occurring in a 3-1 match against Ukraine—Garcia’s first game as head coach. While they have not consistently impressed until their decisive win over New Zealand, that record holds significance.
Garcia also noted the squad’s improving fitness, with Jérémy Doku, De Ketelaere, and Lukaku all regaining form, and Zeno Debast set to make his competition debut after recovering from a leg injury. If Belgium progresses, they could face the USA in the Round of 16, a team they previously defeated 5-2 in a friendly in Atlanta earlier this year. They dominated their qualifying campaign, netting 29 goals and achieving back-to-back six-goal victories, along with a 7-0 rout of Liechtenstein.
Does this latest decisive win signify a turning point for their World Cup journey? “It’s not a big advantage,” Garcia stated. “I was following young players and I told Robert: ‘You should have a look at this young Senegalese player,’”
Winning against New Zealand also allowed Belgium to remain in Seattle, where they have been stationed for the past three weeks, training at the Seattle Sounders’ facilities in the city’s suburbs.
“It’s funny because I had forgotten about it but when we saw each other in December for the [World Cup] draw we hugged and he reminded me. “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.” Garcia remarked, acknowledging the tough competition ahead from Senegal, currently ranked 18th by FIFA, eight spots below Belgium. He noted his familiarity with Senegal’s head coach, Pape Thiaw, from his time at Saint-Étienne, where he served as an assistant to Robert Nouzaret and John Toshack.
“I was following young players and I told Robert: ‘You should have a look at this young Senegalese player,’” Garcia recalled. “It’s funny because I had forgotten about it but when we saw each other in December for the [World Cup] draw we hugged and he reminded me.
“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.”
- Belgium
- World Cup 2026
- World Cup
- Senegal football team
- features
