Rudi Garcia: 'Belgium were not strong enough psychologically v Ukraine'
Belgium national team head coach Rudi Garcia has commented on his side’s 1-3 defeat to Ukraine in the first leg of the Nations League play-offs.
"We will analyse this match, but there’s no doubt we need to shore up our defending. I expect a response from my players on Sunday. I want to see that reaction from the very first second. We’ll have to play with real grit and determination. On Sunday, we’ll find out if we’re truly a strong team. There’s a lot of work ahead, particularly on the psychological side. The first match is over, and we’ve got 90 minutes left to play. We need to be more consistent and, above all, better than we were in that second half.
"I was surprised because the first half gave no indication of what would unfold after the break. We weren’t strong enough mentally. We need to be a team capable of winning a match even after conceding a goal. Before the interval, we were in control and scored a fine goal. Then we let one in due to an individual error - Koni received a difficult pass. Our young players need to learn from this. It happens in football, even if he should have cleared it. But after that, we can’t suddenly start losing duels and concede a second goal so quickly," Garcia explained in interview.
The second leg is scheduled for Sunday, 23 March, in Genk.
