Belgium midfielder Kevin De Bruyne said his side could have won the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
Belgium suffered a 1-0 defeat at the hands of France in St. Petersburg on Wednesday morning (AEST).
France move 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).
"We are disappointed, but when I look back, I can say that I've had a good tournament," De Bruyne said.
"I was doing all I could for my team. Was it a 'now or never' moment? Perhaps. We had a good chance to become the world champions. It's difficult to discuss the future, but I think our team have a chance to show their worth."
Pic Special: Umtiti heads France into World Cup Final
France v Belgium player ratings
The 27-year-old added that the semi-final encounter was a "high level" match.
"Of course, I've expected France to be very compact, to emphasize the defence, as they've done it throughout the tournament" he said.
"One set piece and that's it. That's what football is like. It was a very high level-match, with a completely different playing style than our quarter-final match against Brazil.
"We should have won, but didn't manage to, although France were not better than us."
The 2018 FIFA World Cup kicked off on June 14 and will continue until July 15, with the final set to be played at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium.
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