Belgian Press unites to demolish Rudi Garcia’s World Cup squad

21.06.26 FT World Cup

Belgium

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Iran

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Belgian media relentlessly attacked the national squad on Monday 22 Jun following a dismal 0-0 draw against Iran in their Los Angeles World Cup tie.

The frustration across the European nation is palpable following a toothless attacking display. According to the Dutch-language newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws, the performance was nothing short of shameful.

The publication took a massive swipe at the veteran frontline running a heavily edited photo of 34 year old Kevin De Bruyne & 33 year old Romelu Lukaku looking elderly. This image had previously appeared on an American sports website.

This American website accompanied the picture with a scathing title describing the national team as a "Retirement home for the World Cup".

Divided nation united in criticism

The linguistic divide in the country vanished as the French press echoed similar outrage. La Libre Belgique described the team's display as entirely lifeless.

The outlet took a direct shot at De Bruyne, brutally comparing the legendary playmaker to an expired Hollywood actor desperately taking any role to maintain his relevance. They also aimed fire at head coach Rudi Garcia questioning his bizarre reluctance to substitute exhausted players earlier in the match.

Meanwhile, Le Soir focused its anger on defender Nathan Ngoy. The newspaper highlighted his massive second half blunder that resulted in a straight red card, effectively killing any late attacking momentum and leaving the squad in serious trouble.

The pressure mounts ahead of Friday

Sitting on just two points after two matches, the locker room situation is incredibly tense. Following their earlier 1-1 draw against Egypt, this latest stalemate leaves Garcia's men needing a decisive victory against New Zealand on Friday.

Anything less could see them packing their bags early suffering humiliating back to back group stage eliminations.

Khaled Hegazy |

Editorar, en

Journaliste sportif spécialisé dans la couverture du football et la création de contenu numérique, alliant expérience éditoriale et expertise des médias sociaux.

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