Belgium must face up to their own terrace mutiny – and an unwanted meeting with France

You have to wonder what was going through Kevin De Bruyne’s mind as he abandoned his usual post-match routine and signalled, for their own sake, that it was probably for the best if his team-mates did the same.

Here was a man with more than 100 caps, a serial champion for Manchester City with a portfolio of achievement that makes him a genuine great of his sport. And yet, where did any of that get him during those tense challenging moments after Belgium’s goalless stalemate against Ukraine on Wednesday, when his national team’s supporters turned on the players?

They were extraordinary scenes and, if anything, it was an even more sustained show of mutiny than the previous night when Gareth Southgate tried, and failed, to bond with England’s fans in the aftermath of a 0-0 draw against Slovenia that secured top spot in Group C and empty pint pots were thrown in his direction.

Nothing was thrown this time, but that might be because Belgium’s players never got close enough to make themselves targets. And that felt wise, judging by the sharp deterioration in mood, the surge of anger from one end of the stadium in Stuttgart and the jarring sight, as De Bruyne looked straight in their direction, of middle fingers being raised and abuse being shouted.

For a few moments, the Belgium captain seemed intent on going over for the usual post-match show of support. He did take a few steps in that direction, as though he felt he could soothe the crowd’s anger.

That he should abandon his walk and choose instead to retreat, then start gesturing for his team-mates to do the same, was a remarkable climax to Group E at this European Championship, and a scene that will last longer in the memory than the 90-odd minutes of prosaic football that preceded it.

Belgium have at least advanced to the knockout phase, where they will play France in the round of 16 on Monday in Dusseldorf, but it would be generous in the extreme to try to make a case on their behalf that they look capable of doing something that has always been beyond them in the past.

Any glory at this tournament would, after all, require Belgium to shed their reputation as a country that has continually produced some of the world’s finest footballers without it ever leading to anything of real substance for their national team.

The evidence of Euro 2024 thus far tells us that will not change this summer. And, when you consider how many times they have been in this position, it is easier to understand why the current crop of Belgian players had to bear the brunt of several years’ worth of pent-up frustration.

Their latest assignment was more of the same, culminating in a 10-minute spell towards the end of yesterday’s match during which the main tactic appeared to be to run down the clock and hope there was not an excessive amount of added time.

That included one ‘attacking’ corner when, rather than swinging a cross into Ukraine’s penalty area in search of a winner, a series of passes took the ball all the way back towards their own goalkeeper. Another four minutes were added on and, at the final whistle, the celebrations were muted enough to suggest the players knew how unsatisfactory it was.

Amadou Onana was one of the first to leave the pitch. Lois Openda, one of Belgium’s substitutes, sank to his haunches, in the manner you would usually associate with a player whose team had been defeated. Skipper De Bruyne wandered around, offering brief handshakes to their eliminated opponents. The whistles from those Belgian fans were loud and sustained and, once again, it was difficult not to come away wondering how a team with so many talented individuals seemed so out of sorts.

Onana was a case in point. And, yes, there will be some people who think that is unjust given his status as one of Belgium’s more important players. Something, though, is holding him back from being the player he could be.

A player with his attributes should impose himself with greater authority, and Onana’s inability to do that means there is still, for the most part, an over-reliance on De Bruyne, who turns 33 tomorrow (Friday). Too often, Onana falls short of being the man who will dominate and dictate matches.

Leandro Trossard is another puzzle. He, again, is another elegant frustration. And who can blame those supporters if they are wondering why the Arsenal forward is not playing for his country with the wit and gumption that makes him a frequent destroyer of Premier League defences?

Trossard could not feel aggrieved that he was substituted in the second half. Nor could Youri Tielemans. Nor could Romelu Lukaku, who had his least effective match of the tournament. Jeremy Doku tried to penetrate the Ukrainian back line without making too much impact. And it was difficult to think of another time, in a major tournament, when a team qualified for the next stage but faced so much anger from their own supporters.

“The players were calm in the dressing room,” said De Bruyne, who collected his man of the match award with all the enthusiasm of someone who had lost their car keys. “There was not a lot of noise. I’ve been playing football for a long time. I’ve had good moments, I’ve won a lot, I’ve had a lot of difficult and painful moments. It’s not nice to go through this.

“As a footballer, you need to manage those less fine moments. We know we could have done better, but we qualified. Unfortunately, nobody celebrated that qualification. But the team deserve to (celebrate). After the first match that we lost (1-0 against Slovakia, last Monday), we have improved.”

(Top photo: Chris Ricco/UEFA via Getty Images)