Belgium captain Kevin De Bruyne has reacted to the boos and whistles from the nation’s faithful in their goalless draw with Ukraine on Wednesday.
The boos were doubled when the 32-year-old was announced as the man of the match — a game which set up a round of 16 clash against France.
Quizzed about the fans’ hostile attitude, the Manchester City midfielder responded neutrally, admitting the players gave their all to gain maximum points.
“We tried to win the match and up to the 90th minute, we had goal-scoring opportunities … and we know that we can concede a goal just like with England, and when that happens, then you’re out of the Euros,” De Bruyne said.
“It’s a shame that we didn’t manage to score before, we did have opportunities. And afterwards, we just need our fans.
“We gave it all during the three matches, the team ran until the 95th minute, everybody wants to win the matches and we did try to do this on the pitch.”
Meanwhile, Belgium manager Domenico Tedesco understood the supporters’ frustration but he defended his players for their approach, understanding caution was needed with all teams level on points in group.
“We knew today we couldn’t fail,” Tedesco said. “The players tried everything. We can score earlier, we can score more, then many things are easier.
“I’m proud of my team because they did well at the end — if you concede one goal, you are out.
“This group was tougher than many thought. On paper, you can be favourites, but you have to play the games and these teams have absolutely nothing to lose.”
Asked about plans for their next tie, against World Cup runners-up, France, Tedesco said: “We go to win. We are here and qualified for this Euro to be part of the best teams. Now we face a top team, that’s why we qualified, otherwise we could stay at home.”
