Moroccan supporters singing in Brussels, coach Roberto Martinez announcing his departure.
And the tears of many players, in particular Romelu Lukaku who had two qualifying balls in the last minutes and who alone embodies the bankruptcy of the Red Devils: it was enough for the Belgian press to release the shock formulas to greet the event.
But at the end of a competition which will have seen the locker room torn apart, the media displayed almost a form of fatalism in the face of this announced failure.
On the site of La Libre Belgique, after the draw against Croatia (0-0), this formula said a lot: “Lukaku forgets to score, the Red Devils are eliminated”.
Lukaku misses four, Dendoncker and De Bruyne show up: Devils ratings after Croatia elimination https://t.co/aHKh5TPYy3 pic.twitter.com/mnkfxvkTbT
— La Libre (@lalibrebe) December 1, 2022
For RTBF, the circumstances of the failure could pursue those concerned for a long time: “Regrets.
Many regrets!
This is undoubtedly what will be on the minds of our selection for a long time.
Partly for the missed opportunities against the Croatians, mainly for not having shown this level of play earlier in the competition.
The news site puts forward an enlightening fact: “According to statistics provided by
Opta
, Belgium has only scored fewer goals once in 19 participations in major tournaments (World Cup and Euro).
In 1930, the Belgians scored… 0 goals in the Uruguayan World Cup.
We also have to go back to 2010 to see the Devils remain silent for two consecutive games.
After pointing out, like many, the improbable failures of Lukaku, the RTBF points to another disappointment: “Third in the last Ballon d'Or, Kevin De Bruyne did not meet expectations.
However, he remains the player who has been involved in the most shots without being involved in a single goal at the 2022 World Cup (7 shots and last 8 assists).
🇧🇪 ⚽🇧🇪 Croatia – Belgium: the image of Thomas Meunier which sums up all the impotence and disappointment of the Red Devils (photo) https://t.co/JgAyZemYQE pic.twitter.com/VA5IMnrcTc
— LesoirSports (@LesoirSports) December 1, 2022
Le Soir is already nostalgic and draws lessons from this failure when several players could retire internationally.
“Red Devils: the end of a golden generation that we loved so much”, headlines the generalist daily, which also gave Courtois a 7 and Lukaku a 4 in its notes.
In his paper, Vincent Joséphy summarizes the feelings of his fellow citizens: “Founded in 2013 or even in 2007 according to opinion, the Belgian team has enchanted the country and the whole world for a good decade.
If it has known exceptional moments of glory, especially in 2018 and this semi-final lost against France (1-0), the disappointment that inhabits Belgian supporters after the early elimination in Qatar is up to expectations sometimes illegitimate ones it has aroused in recent times.
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