Grown up. That’s what captain Jan Vertonghen called the performance of the Belgians. “We have learned from matches in which we lost and which we lost. After the 2-0 we did not have to make the game, even though we should have demanded more of ourselves in possession. That was certainly not good in the second half. . “
When asked which team came out best, the national coach did not have to hesitate for long. “We of course. In the first half we had control and we were efficient for goal.”
“England had the ball in the second half, obviously not because we wanted to. That is their merit. But we also learned from our match in Switzerland, where we also avoided 0-2 (and lost 5-2). We have now tackled that better. “
Is such a scenario as against Switzerland, where the Devils relinquished an almost certain qualification, also possible against Denmark? “Of course. The margins in international football, especially in this A-division, are small.”
“Denmark has also gone on to win in England, while today it had all the trouble in the world against Iceland.” Jan Vertonghen does not count himself rich either. “Everything is possible, but we now have that experience in Switzerland. We will not speculate on a draw, we always go for the win.”
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A remarkable moment in the match was the rush of Dries Mertens after his goal to Roberto Martinez, concluded with a deep hug. Why was that?
“I just have a lot of respect for that man, both on and off the field”, Mertens explains. “I was not there in the last international matches and I was disappointed about that. Especially when you approach the 100 caps, you want to play everything.”
“He helped me with that and said:” Then score against England. “It’s nice that that will eventually come true.”
“He had sent me a message after the loss in England”, Martinez tells his story. “That we would beat the English at home. I reminded him of that promise before kick-off. He wanted to let me know after his goal that he can also contribute.”
All in all, it was a successful 50th international match for Martinez as national coach. “When I look back on the past 4 years there is nothing but pride. And I hope the best is yet to come.”
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