Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois said his side had expected to play in the World Cup final.
Belgium suffered a 1-0 defeat at the hands of France in St. Petersburg on Wednesday morning (AEST).
France moved through to the World Cup final, where they will face the winner of the upcoming semi-final match between England and Croatia on Monday, while Belgium will face the loser of that match in the third place play-off on Sunday (AEST).
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"We're satisfied with our performance, now we need to... prepare for the third place play-off," Courtois said post-match.
"Of course, we are not 100 percent happy, as we'll fight for the third place only. We had expected to play in the final.
"It will be difficult to go onto the pitch on Saturday realising that this is not the most important match (of the World Cup).
Courtois added that the semi-final encounter was "tough," and that Belgium struggled to create decent opportunities.
"It's a pity to lose a semi-final, but this is football, such things happen," he said.
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