The head coach of the Belgian national team, Rudy Garcia, commented on his team’s large victory over Ukraine (3:0) in the return match of the Nations League playoffs for the right to compete in Division “A” of this tournament, which took place yesterday in Genk. Recall that based on the results of the two meetings (1:3, 3:0), the Belgians emerged victorious in this confrontation.
Rudy Garcia“Relief? No, satisfaction. This is exactly the kind of match I expected from my team.
We controlled the game well throughout the match. We had the intensity, technical quality, and attacking impulse necessary to create moments and score three goals without extra time. We were also very good at high ball recovery, in what is called counter-pressing.
Despite Lukaku scoring twice, it was the substitutes who breathed new life into the team when it was needed.
In the first match against Ukraine, we didn't have a mentality problem—it was a confidence problem. The 12-minute “blackout” in the second half was a result of that lack of confidence. So I instilled that confidence in the guys, telling them they are quality players both individually and together. And today I got a reaction. A reaction of pride. This proves that this team has individual quality, but above all a spirit that allows us to experience such wonderful evenings like this one.
Now a good foundation has been laid. I think with this we can go far. Now we are starting the qualifying matches for the 2026 World Cup and our goal is to win all these matches to avoid participating in the playoffs,” said Garcia at the post-match press conference.
