Garcia: Luck was not on our side against Spain

Belgium head coach Rudy Garcia insisted that, despite his team’s defeat to Spain in the quarter-finals of the 2026 World Cup, the side known as the “Red Devils” has nothing to be ashamed of and can take pride in what they achieved in the current tournament, noting that luck was not on their side against the Spanish.

Spain continued their quest to win the World Cup for the second time in their history after advancing to the semi-finals, securing a thrilling 2-1 victory over Belgium on Friday in the quarter-finals.

The 2010 World Cup champions in South Africa set up a fiery European clash in the semi-finals against France, who were the first team to reach the semi-finals in the current tournament after defeating Morocco 2-0 on Thursday evening.

Speaking after the match, Garcia said, “We were on equal terms with Spain, and we have no reason to feel bad.” He added, “In the first half, they only had one chance, but unfortunately they were very effective.”

He emphasized, “To beat a team of this caliber, you also need luck on your side, and reaching the semi-finals was extremely difficult for us.”

The French coach pointed out that the team learned from the defeat and gained valuable experience throughout the tournament, adding, “It’s very simple: we can be proud of what we delivered at the World Cup. We learned from the loss. I don’t believe we have any reason to feel insulted.”

He continued, “Unfortunately, the circumstances were not favorable. We lost our goalkeeper (Thibaut Courtois) and our captain (Yannick Carrasco), and we were forced to replace Kevin De Bruyne, which was not part of our game plan. There were many obstacles in our way. Things were not going smoothly.”