Following Belgium's UEFA Europa League group stage match against Ukraine, Belgian head coach Tedesco attended a press conference to speak on topics such as booing from fans, the circumstances of the match, and his outlook for future matches.
Regarding the booing of fans during the game, Tedesco said he was surprised by it. He emphasized that the most important thing for the team is to succeed in advancing. After the first loss, the team knows that the next games will not be easy. The match against Ukraine was especially crucial and there was no room for error. Tedesco praised his players for giving their all in the match, which they were unable to convert into goals despite good ball control, high pressing and creating good scoring chances in the first 20 minutes.
Tedesco also talked about the unpleasant experience the team had on the way to the stadium. He described how it took the team an hour to get from the hotel to the stadium with a police escort that did not use its lights and deliberately slowed down, even stopping at every red light. This resulted in him only being able to give a short speech and having to cut the warm-up short. Tedesco felt that this put a great deal of pressure on the players and staff, but re-emphasized that the most important thing was that the team had succeeded in advancing.
Speaking about the game itself, Tedesco said that the team was very clear about the goal of not failing. He praised the players for the great effort they put into the game and noted that the team could have scored earlier and even scored more goals to make the game easier. He was proud of his team's final performance because in a game like this, a goal conceded could have meant an exit. Tedesco also mentioned that the group was much more competitive than many thought, and that even though Belgium may have been the favorites on paper, they had to prove themselves in the tournament.
Finally, looking ahead to the upcoming Round of 16 match against France, Tedesco said that the team's goal is to win the tournament. He believes that Belgium participated in this Euro and managed to qualify in order to be one of the best teams. Now, they will face a top team, which is exactly the kind of challenge the team is looking forward to. Tedesco emphasized that anything is possible and the team will give their best to win.
