Kevin De Bruyne refused to comment on the furious reaction from fans which led to the Belgium captain ordering his team not to applaud the supporters after a 0-0 draw with Ukraine at Euro 2024.
Belgium missed the chance to finish top of Group E with the scoreless draw, leaving a bitter taste in the mouths of fans as a clash with France in the knockout stage awaits.
Knowing a point was enough to send them through as runners-up behind Romania, Belgium adopted a defensive strategy in the closing minutes, fearful a Ukraine goal that would have them eliminated.
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There was nearly a different ending when Ukraine substitute Ruslan Malinovskyi tried to score directly from a corner late in the match. Belgium goalkeeper Koen Casteels managed to save the effort at the near post.
After the full-time whistle was blown, the Manchester City playmaker was making his way toward the section where Belgium fans were seated behind the goal, but then appeared to change his mind as the booing intensified.
De Bruyne then instructed his teammates to walk away and not applaud the supporters as the boos grew louder when his name was announced as UEFA’s Player of the Match.
“We tried to win the match,” De Bruyne said in a post match news conference. “We had goal-scoring opportunities, but we didn’t take any risks with the corner because we knew we might concede a goal.
“If that happens, you’re out of the Euros. It’s a shame we didn’t manage to score before — we had opportunities — and after that we just need the fans to stay with us.
“We need these fans. We’ll need them against France. That’s all I have to say.”
When asked why he urged his teammates to leave the field and not approach the Belgium fans, De Bruyne was guarded in his response, repeating his call for their support.
“We just need them,” he said. “I don’t know what else to say. We just need the fans. We’ll need them against France. We needed them in the last three games. That’s it.”
Belgium coach Domenico Tedesco backed De Bruyne’s comments and said his team was trying to win the game in the final minutes.
“Well of course we are a bit surprised [by the boos],” he said. “We wanted to qualify, and we have qualified.
“We lost the first game and played fantastically against Romania and the fans were really happy then. Today was a really tough game, but the message was clear: We want to play to win.
“The players tried everything. We could have scored more at the beginning, but if the fans are whistling, we have to accept it.”
The downside for the Belgians at Euro 2024 is they will next face France and Kylian Mbappe.
“We go to win. We are here and qualified for this Euro to be part of the best teams. Now, we face a top team,” Tedesco added. “That’s why we qualified, otherwise we could stay at home. These are the games we’re looking for, and everything is possible.”
All four teams in Group E finished with four points. Romania ended up first, followed by Belgium and Slovakia. Ukraine was last on goal difference.
Romania and Slovakia drew 1-1 in Frankfurt and both advanced to the knockout stage.
Playing at Euro 2024 against the backdrop of Russia’s invasion, Ukraine came agonisingly close to advancing and will finish with more points than at least one of the four best third-place teams. The 3-0 loss to Romania in the team’s opening game proved to be decisive.
“In the last two games, we showed the character of our nation. But this is life, you make some mistakes, but then it’s important how you react,” Ukraine coach Serhiy Rebrov said. “I’m very proud of the players. Of course, everyone is unhappy with the result, but there are no questions for the players.”
The third-ranked Belgians had another scare when Georgiy Sudakov ran into the box but shot right at Casteels.
Belgium, which lost to Slovakia in its opening game, struggled to get its attack going again with Romelu Lukaku failing to make the most of his team’s best chance in the first half.
“This group was tougher than many thought,” Tedesco said. “On paper, you can be favourites, but you have to play the games and these teams have absolutely nothing to lose.”