Garcia says Belgium have laid a foundation by staving off Nations League relegation

Rudi Garcia believes Belgium have laid a foundation for future success by staving off relegation from the top tier of the Nations League.

Belgium were starring at demotion to League B when they suffered a humiliating 3-1 defeat to Ukraine in the first leg of their promotion-relegation play-off on Thursday.

But they came roaring back to earn a 4-3 aggregate win on Sunday, scoring three goals in the final 20 minutes of the second leg on a memorable outing at Cegeka Arena.

Maxim De Cuyper’s first-time finish from Jeremy Doku’s pass finally broke Andriy Lunin’s resistance in the 70th minute, then Lukaku scored twice to seal a 3-0 victory on the night – volleying in from a Kevin De Bruyne pass for his first.

Garcia, who replaced Domenico Tedesco in January, is now hopeful of building on Belgium’s escape act.

Reflecting on their first-leg defeat, he told reporters: “It wasn’t a mentality problem. It was a trust problem.

“I gave them confidence by telling them that they are individually and collectively quality players.

“I have also learned a little Dutch and said it in Dutch in the dressing room: ‘We did it’. A good foundation has now been laid.

“I think we can get far with that. We are now starting the World Cup qualifiers to win all the games, so that we do not have to work in the play-offs of March 2026.”

What. A. Victory. #BELUKR pic.twitter.com/WsLd1Hmgd2

— Belgian Red Devils (@BelRedDevils) March 23, 2025

Lukaku now has 88 goals in 122 appearances for Belgium, while De Bruyne has three goal involvements in his last three international outings (two goals, one assist).

“Everyone knows the qualities of De Bruyne and Lukaku,” Garcia said of the duo. “They are the leaders of the team. Tonight they were very good in their roles.

“Everyone was good. Doku made sure that we could be dangerous in the opponent’s penalty area.

“The achievement of everyone must be emphasised and not just that of our leaders. But the leaders played their role and that is very important for a coach.”