“I am proud of our team and the players, they deserve a lot of respect for this victory… Our head coach did an outstanding job, chose the right tactics for this game. Our efforts paid off… Everyone in Belgium supports the team and believe that they will reach success at the World Cup,” Verhaeghe told journalists.

This is Belgium’s 12th appearance at the World Cup, with their best performance being the fourth place they achieved in Mexico in 1986.