The Belgian goalkeeper is confident that the team will draw conclusions from the defeat and play a stronger return match.
Belgium national team goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois commented on the defeat to Ukraine in the first match of the playoff for the right to play in the elite division of the next Nations League.
The match, nominally home for the “blue-yellows”, in the Spanish city of Murcia ended with a strong-willed victory for Sergei Rebrov's team with a score of 3:1.
“In the first half we controlled the game well, except for the first 10 minutes. In the second half I think they pressed harder and we should have found space to attack, but we didn't.
The first goal was scored after a bad pass. We should have stayed calm, which we didn't. Ukraine started to act confidently, and instead of staying calm, we completely lost it. It's unpleasant to concede three times in 15 minutes, but we know that we can play better in the second match.
After the first goal we had ten minutes when we were poorly organised, we left too much space, and at this level you pay for that. But we have to stay calm, it's the first game with the new coach, we have to understand what he wants.
This is not the best start for us, but sometimes you have to accept such a defeat. We have to play a better match on Sunday, attack better, defend better, together. On Sunday we have to start strongly from the first minute,” RTL Info quotes Courtois as saying.
Earlier it was reported that the head coach of the Belgian national team, Rudi Garcia, named the reason for the defeat against Ukraine.
The return match between Belgium and Ukraine will take place on Sunday, March 23, in the Belgian city of Genk. The starting whistle will sound at 21:45 Kyiv time.
The winner of the two-match confrontation between Ukraine and Belgium will receive a place in the most prestigious Division A of the League of Nations. The losing team will play the next tournament in Division B.
Let us recall that Rebrov named the turning point of the Ukraine-Belgium match.
The former coach of the “blue-yellows” and now president of the Ukrainian Football Association (UAF) Andriy Shevchenko also reacted to the national team's victory over Belgium.