‘To be favourites or not doesn’t matter’: Belgium braced for Senegal challenge

B elgium had just beaten New Zealand 5-1 to secure top spot in Group G and, at least in theory, an easier last-32 draw, but Rudi Garcia was evidently irked. In response to the first question in a curt post-match press conference, he adjusted the microphone to ensure his point was heard. “I really didn’t appreciate them being called has beens ,” he said alluding to an article in La Libre, a French-language Belgian newspaper, that compared Kevin De Bruyne with a washed-up Hollywood actor after a flat display against Iran in their previous match in Los Angeles. “When a nation has players of that calibre, you support them,” Garcia added, praising the performances of his “four leaders” in De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, Thibaut Courtois and Leandro Trossard, who scored twice against New Zealand; Trossard’s opener represented the first goal Belgium scored themselves at the tournament ( after an own goal against Egypt ) at the 45th attempt after more than 200 minutes of labouring. It came after some comical defending, Chris Wood and Tim Payne inadvertently marking each other touch-tight to allow Trossard to open the floodgates. De Bruyne got on the scoresheet, Lukaku headed in 56 seconds after stepping off the bench and Charles De Ketelaere applied the gloss. …