Rudy Garcia hit back at critics after New Zealand's thrashing and Belgium's exit in...

Belgium head coach Rudy Garcia has responded to the wave of harsh criticism that has poured in on his team in recent weeks. After Vancouver, he said that the team's performance at the World Cup is finally starting to gain momentum. The triumph was the Red Devils' first at this year's tournament, with their previous two group stage matches against Egypt and Iran ending in draws. The result was enough for the Belgians to reach the round of 16 as undisputed leaders of Group G. After the final whistle, the coach of the team took the opportunity to dot all the "i" in his communication with the press. In an interview with the Belgian TV channel RTBF, he did not hide his emotions regarding the treatment of the players: "I trust all my players, as well as my leaders. They have been harshly criticized, and I think it is indecent. They have shown on the pitch that they are incredible players, and all Belgians should be proud of footballers like them," said the specialist. Garcia emphasized that the best way to silence critics is to play productively: "There's only one place we can respond and that's on the football pitch. We were effective and that's a big difference compared to the match against Iran. Goals make all the difference. We had the good sense to win by at least three goals because all the games in this group were very close. "We finished first, we stay in Seattle. I don't know if it's good, but it doesn't matter - the main thing is to get to the 1/16 finals. You can't say that our world championship has just started, but I hope that it will now gain momentum," the specialist emphasized. In the match against New Zealand, four different players of the Belgian national team distinguished themselves. The main star of the evening was the London Arsenal striker Leandro Trossard, who scored a double. It is interesting that he was one of those who were most criticized by experts and fans at the start of the tournament. However, Rudy Garcia did not spare compliments to his forward: "I know that he is not very popular in the national team, but he answered everything on the field. He was the best Belgian player from the very beginning of the tournament. I asked him to be more decisive, to create more chances in front of the goal. He knows how to do it and he fully proved it in this match," admitted the manager. In the end, the head coach addressed the fans, who did not turn their backs on the team in a difficult moment: "We sincerely thank everyone who supported us. We want to play for those who are proud to support the Red Devils," summed up Rudy Garcia.