Relief for Belgium but questions for the defence after dramatic win over Wales
There was relief for Belgium after scraping through a dramatic World Cup qualifier against Wales on Monday but plenty for coach Rudi Garcia to ponder after a narrow 4-3 home win.
Belgium had been cruising at 3-0 up inside the first half-hour of the Group J match at the King Baudouin Stadium but Wales fought back to 3-3 with 20 minutes left before Kevin De Bruyne grabbed the winner two minutes from time.
'The most important thing is that we won. Psychologically it is tough to give away a three-goal lead, but we showed our mental strength,' said Garcia after Belgium's second game in their qualifying group for the 2026 finals in North America.
'We kept fighting. It is symbolic that Kevin of all people scored the winning goal."
De Bruyne had been a key factor throughout, ghosting in at the back post to convert Youri Tielemans' cross for the winner.
Tielemans, who was captain for the night, said relief was the primary emotion after the game.
"We are happy with the victory, but we know that should not have happened to us," he said of the Welsh comeback.
"I have no explanation for how that happened. But the craziest things can happen with the national team.
"We felt we could finish the match earlier, but then we dropped off a bit. Then we conceded a goal and their confidence grew. They were simply the better team at that moment.
'We had to defend together as a team, choose the right moment to react and get back into the match but we didn't do that well."
Belgium conceded a late equaliser in their group opener against North Macedonia on Friday and the defence will come under more scrutiny after allowing Wales to score three.
Belgium travel to Liechtenstein on Sept. 4 for their next qualifier before hosting Kazakhstan three days later.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hans India
an hour ago
- Hans India
Junior women's hockey team beats Belgium 2-1
Antwerp: The Indian junior women's hockey team continued their winning streak in the tour of Europe with a well-deserved win over Belgium. India edged past the Belgian side with a tight scoreline of 2-1 at the Hockey Center of Excellence, Wilrijkse Plein in Antwerp, Belgium. Lalthantluangi (35') and Geeta Yadav (50') scored goals for India. The first half remained goalless as both sides couldn't manage to break the deadlock in the tight contest. In the 35th minute, India finally scored the opening goal as Lalthantluangi successfully converted a fortunate penalty stroke. In the last quarter, Van Hellemont (48') scored the equaliser through a field goal for Belgium. However, just two minutes later, Geeta Yadav replied with a field goal herself and grabbed the winner for India. India then defended well to fend off the Belgian attacks in the final 10 minutes of the game and ensured they enjoyed another win over Belgium. After wrapping up the promising outing at the Four Nations Tournament in Rosario, Argentina, the Indian team has now reached Europe for the five-match tour, which they kicked off their tour of Europe with a fantastic win against Belgium on Sunday. The Indian side won the game 3-2 at the Hockey Center of Excellence, Wilrijkse Plein. After two consecutive wins, the Indian junior women will next play Belgium for the third and final time in their Tour of Europe on June 12. In Argentina, the Indian side delivered strong performances against quality opposition. They registered a 2-1 win and a 2-2 (2-3 SO) loss against Chile, earned a 1-1 (2-0 SO) win and a 2-4 loss against hosts Argentina, and defeated Uruguay twice — 3-2 and 2-2 (3-1 SO).
Hindustan Times
3 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
LA sports celebrities anticipate World Cup's arrival, hope political climate has cooled by then
LOS ANGELES — When the 2026 World Cup begins across North America one year from this week, sports figures from across Los Angeles are hoping the global soccer community will find the U.S. both inspiring and welcoming. The Fox network marked the one-year milestone Wednesday night with a big party at its studio lot in Century City. Attendees included everyone from 'Ted Lasso' star Jason Sudeikis to luminaries from every corner of the sports world in the nation's second-largest metropolitan area, including Los Angeles Lakers owner Jeanie Buss and Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh. 'I remember when the World Cup was here in the '90s, and then obviously what our American women's team did to win the World Cup ,' Harbaugh said. 'So yeah, I love sports, I love competition, and I think it's going to be incredible for our state, our city, our country. The vibe is going to be incredible to just have everybody here. I'm looking for another explosion of soccer — football — in America.' The attendees all expressed excitement about the return of the world's premier soccer tournament to the U.S. while acknowledging the uncertainty of whether the nation's fraught political climate could present significant challenges to the teams, the World Cup organizers and even the network that will broadcast the tournament domestically. 'I'm hoping this game can bring people together,' said former LA Galaxy midfielder Cobi Jones, a three-time World Cup veteran and the U.S. men's career leader in appearances. 'That's what we really want. We're talking about the travel bans and all that, I'm hoping that FIFA can work together with our government to find a way that everyone can be here, everyone can enjoy this sport, because it's a cultural event that's happening here in a year. I expect everyone from around the world to be able to come here and enjoy it.' Los Angeles is in the midst of several days of protests against intensified immigration raids across the nation that could cause international fans to wonder whether they can travel to the tournament safely. President Donald Trump's latest expansive travel ban has raised questions about whether some soccer fans will be able to visit at all. 'I think it will get figured out,' Harbaugh said. 'To quote the late, great Tom Petty, most things I worry about don't end up happening anyway.' Jones also preached caution for U.S. fans already fretting about the dismal state of their national team. Coach Mauricio Pochettino's squad is on its first four-game losing streak since 2007 after getting thrashed 4-0 by Switzerland on Tuesday in its final tune-up for the CONCACAF Gold Cup. 'We don't panic right now,' Jones said. 'Talk to me when we're a month out. I've seen from experience that with a year out from the World Cup, the team is going to completely change . So for me, it's all about a general sense of whether they can come together as a team, because it's not about the individuals. We've seen it so many times.' soccer: /soccer
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
3 hours ago
- First Post
Bhaichung Bhutia slams AIFF boss Kalyan Chaubey after India's loss to Hong Kong: 'He has destroyed Indian football'
Former Indian football captain Bhaichung Bhutia has slammed AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey following India's defeat to Hong Kong in the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers. Bhutia accused Chaubey of destroying Indian football. read more Former Indian football captain Bhaichung Bhutia has come down hard on the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and its President Kalyan Chaubey, blaming them for the poor state of Indian football. The criticism came a day after in the AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers. Bhutia said it was very painful to see . Bhutia directly blamed AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey for the mess. He also pointed out how the constant change in leadership was hurting the system. Bhutia raised questions about the ongoing I-League championship issue between Inter Kashi and Churchill Brothers. 'It's very painful to see… we are definitely struggling now to even qualify for the Asia Cup, which we've been qualifying for regularly. Countries like Uzbekistan, Indonesia and Jordan have qualified for the World Cup, and we are still struggling for the Asia Cup. Very unfortunate,' Bhutia told PTI. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'Kalyan Chaubey has destroyed Indian football. Chaubey has to resign and leave. He has completely destroyed it. Three General Secretaries in two-and-a-half years — the entire structure, the system will have to be changed. Controversy after controversy, corruption charge… even after months now we don't know who the I-League winner is,' he said. More from Football The former striker also criticised the AIFF for letting Manolo Marquez coach both FC Goa and the Indian national team at the same time. He claimed that Marquez was appointed without the approval of the Technical Committee. Bhutia was also not happy about the decision to bring Sunil Chhetri out of international retirement. 'It was nice of him to come out of retirement, but it was a completely bad decision. Manolo should not have requested, and now we hear the Federation pushed for it. But what's changed? There is nothing happening at the grassroots. It's all negative news off the field, and that reflects on the national team's performance,' he added. India are still alive in the competition but have a very slim chance of making it to the next round. India will need to win their remaining matches and hope other results go their way so they can finish at the top and make the final round of the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
