Zagreb, Croatia – Belgium coach Rudi Garcia praised his team’s performance in their 2-0 victory over Croatia in a friendly match on Tuesday evening, part of both teams’ preparations for the 2026 World Cup.
“We played well against Croatia,” Garcia said after the match. “The water break allowed us to make three tactical changes that improved our performance.”
“We faced some difficulties at times, but we managed to keep a clean sheet. The players defended as a team and didn’t give the opposition any clear-cut chances, apart from the shot that hit the crossbar.”
The Belgian coach continued, “It was an important match before the World Cup, and we are happy to have beaten a strong team like Croatia. What impressed me most was the team’s collective performance, and the substitutions didn’t affect our performance.”
Regarding Romelu Lukaku’s goal, he said: “Lukaku was born to score goals. I thought he could have handled one of the earlier chances better, and it’s natural to be stricter with top players, but he came on well and started pressing the opposition as soon as he entered the game.”
Garcia concluded his remarks by saying: “Everyone is happy for him and has a lot of respect for him. Now he has to continue working with the coaching staff and keep improving.”
