Riots started in Brussels, the capital of Belgium, when the national soccer team lost to Morocco in the World Cup. Belgium’s star players have spoken exceptionally directly about the team’s championship chances.
19:12•Updated 19:27
Seven months ago, Belgium, which fell from the first place in the world ranking to the second place, has been weak in the opening group of the World Cup.
Belgium beat Canada 1–0 with a weaker game and got the important three points. Against Morocco, the team didn’t even get a result and lost 0–2.
After the match, the country’s capital, Brussels, started to rumble. Riots were seen on the streets of the city, where several young people threw Belgian media According to Het Laatste Nieuws (you will switch to another service) policemen with stones and caused a lot of damage.
For example, several electric scooters and bicycles were set on fire. At least one car has been broken into. According to the Belgian media, an attempt was made to calm down the rioters with water cannons. According to estimates, there are around a hundred police officers.
Sports expert Jonne Kunnasen according to the Belgian team’s difficulties stem from many factors. The situation can be considered worrying.
– They now have two bad matches behind them. They got three points against Canada, but in the light of the statistics, they were worse in many ways, says Kunnas.
According to Kunnas, Belgium has big problems, especially in the structures of attacking play. Belgium has had difficulty moving forward, breaking the opponent’s pressure, getting into shape and thus scoring goals.
For example, toppers have had difficulty advancing by passing or passing through the opponent’s lines. This has caused big challenges for Belgium. On the other hand, especially in defense With Toby Alderweireld and With Jan Vertonghen there have been difficulties in defending larger spaces.
To top it all off, worrying messages have been heard from within the Belgian team. Midfielder Kevin De Bruyne already told The Guardian before the tournament that the team has no chance of winning the World Cup.
– We are too old, the star player said and at the same time stated that the World Cup in Qatar does not feel right.
Captain Eden Hazard was more moderate during the tournament. However, he said the team had a better chance of winning the title four years ago.
The municipality considers the messages carried from within the team to be worrying for the team.
– This gives more of an image that the team itself does not believe in success and success. When core and key players say that, it’s a really questionable message to the rest of the team. Even more worrying in a team environment, says Kunnas.
However, he reminds that Belgium is under a lot of pressure in its home country. It is made aware that this time Belgium must be successful, because after this success may have to wait longer. Therefore, the players have been able to try to reduce the pressure with their statements.
The possibility is admittedly the last when looking at the age distribution of championship teams. The championships have often been won by teams whose average age is between 26 and 28 years. The emphasis has been on younger teams. The average age in Belgium is 27.8 years.
– If you think about the champion teams of the 21st century, quite often the championship has been won by a clearly younger team. When you look at it, Belgium is too old to succeed in this tournament, says Kunnas.
The head coach Roberto Martinez has received criticism over the years that he hasn’t really changed his line-up, but has trusted the players who have brought success.
– It’s understandable on the other hand, but now that time is running out for them, the new ones have a long way to go. Around the national team, there should be constant renewal all the time, and Belgium has not succeeded in that, says Kunnas.
However, from the point of view of Belgium, the situation regarding the next place is not catastrophic. Belgium will face Croatia in the final match of the group and the next place is in their own hands.
For Belgium, what kind of mood the star striker played in his first minute on Sunday could be decisive Romero Lukaku reach.
– His importance is really big in terms of finishing and attacking play. When Lukaku is on the pitch, Belgium can streamline their play in certain moments. Getting him in some sort of shape is Belgium’s opportunity, says Kunnas.
– There wasn’t much development between these two matches, so otherwise I’m not very hopeful that Belgium’s playing will improve terribly.
Sunday’s World Cup day will culminate with the match between Spain and Germany. The live broadcast starts on TV2 and Areena at 20:30. World Cup football is followed in this article, which also opens a chat for the duration of the match.