Belgium head coach, Rudi Garcia, has blamed his side’s 2-1 defeat to Spain in the 2026 FIFA World Cup on two costly mistakes, saying his players were punished despite producing a strong performance.
Recall that Belgium were eliminated from the tournament after Mikel Merino scored the decisive goal, cancelling out Charles De Ketelaere’s equaliser following Fabian Ruiz’s opener for Spain.
The result sent Spain into the semi-finals, where they will face France.
Speaking after the match, Garcia said Belgium competed well but paid the price for avoidable errors.
“We played very well against Spain. But at this level, you simply cannot afford to make any mistakes, and we made two,” the Belgium coach said.
The Belgian coach also pointed to injuries that disrupted his team’s performance during the match.
“Tielemans picked up an injury before the match, and Courtois was injured during the match.
“Kevin De Bruyne was also unable to see out the game.
“We could have done more, but…”
Belgium’s exit ends their World Cup campaign, while Spain remain on course for the title as they prepare for a semi-final clash against France.
