STUTTGART, Germany: Kevin De Bruyne refused to comment on the angry reaction of Belgium fans after Wednesday’s 0-0 draw with Ukraine at Euro 2024, insisting that “we need them” ahead of a last-16 match with France.
Belgium missed the chance to finish top of Group E after having to settle for a point in Stuttgart, with De Bruyne seemingly instructing his team-mates not to head over to applaud the supporters after the game.
The Manchester City playmaker was making his way toward the Belgium fans behind the goal before appearing to change his mind as the whistling and booing intensified.
“We need these fans, we need them against France,” said De Bruyne.
“We just need them. I don’t know what else to say.
“We gave it our all during the three matches, everybody wanted to win the matches. We tried to do this but we didn’t manage to do so,” he added.
Knowing a point was enough to send them through, albeit as runners-up behind Romania, Belgium adopted a safety-first approach in the closing minutes, fearful of a Ukraine goal that would have knocked them out.
“I think until the 90th minute we tried to find solutions... afterwards I think Ukraine had a good chance, maybe two,” said De Bruyne.
“When it’s one minute from the end of the match you can’t take a risk. I understand people want us to win, but if I take the corner and they go down the other end and score people are going to kill me.”
De Bruyne stays tight-lipped on Belgium fan fury
https://arab.news/bmr4c
De Bruyne stays tight-lipped on Belgium fan fury
- Belgium missed the chance to finish top of Group E after having to settle for a point in Stuttgart
- “We need these fans, we need them against France,” said De Bruyne
Jordan make history as they reach Arab Cup final for first time with narrow victory over Saudi Arabia
- Green Falcons left to rue squandered chances as they miss out on what would have been their first final appearance in the competition since 2002
- Semi-final victory comes during a stellar year for Jordan in which they also qualified for the World Cup for the first time ever
DOHA: A header by Nizar Al-Rashdan gave Jordan a 1-0 victory in a tense match against Saudi Arabia on Monday and sent them to their first Arab Cup final.
Deprived of the services of Yazan Al-Naimat, who suffered a devastating knee injury in their quarter-final against Iraq, Jordan delivered a brave performance, greatly limiting the Saudi attacking threat across the 90 minutes.
The semi-final at Al-Bayt Stadium in Qatar attracted the highest attendance of the tournament so far, a vibrant crowd of 62,825. Both sides began cautiously, with Jordan lining up in a robust 5-4-1 formation that sought to restrict Salem Al-Dawsari and Saleh Abou Al-Shamat in the final third.
The game opened up a little after the break, as a tactical change from Jordan helped them gain greater control on the counterattack. Mohammed Abu Zrayq in particular proved influential down the right flank as he stretched the Saudi defense and gave the Nashama more attacking momentum.
The decisive moment, however, came from the opposite side. Mahmoud Al-Mardi delivered a dipping cross from the left, catching the Green Falcons’ defense off guard, and Al-Rashdan rose to head home the only goal of the match in the 66th minute.
Saudi Arabia responded with a series of substitutions, including the introduction of Al-Qadsiah midfielder Musab Al-Juwayr. The former Al-Hilal player helped link play between Al-Dawsari and Feras Al-Brikan down the left channel as the Saudis pressed for the equalizer.
Al-Brikan and then Saleh Al-Shehri both went close but Yazeed Abulaila stood firm in goal, producing a crucial save just minutes after Jordan took the lead.
The match ended on a particularly sour note for Saudi Arabia when last man Waleed Al-Ahmed was shown a straight red card in the closing moments after bringing down an opponent to halt a counterattack, as Jordan saw out their historic victory.
They now face Morocco, who earlier in the day defeated the UAE 3-0, in the final on Thursday.
