Belgium Not Worried About Tielemans and Trossard's Hot Showdown: 'Only Good'
July 3, 2026 · Global
After Belgium's win over Senegal, there was a heated exchange between teammates Tielemans and Trossard, but both players insisted there were no problems after the match. Coach Rudi Garcia and the Belgian media saw it as a sign of team spirit, despite concerns about the game's performance.
After the second drinks break, Trossard and Tielemans became involved in a fairly heated discussion. The dispute even looked like it would become a physical confrontation, until Nicolas Raskin and Romelu Lukaku separated the two players. "This is part of football," Tielemans said after the match. "Emotions at that time were very high, we all wanted to win and fought for it," he said in front of the FIFA cameras. "There are no further problems, it's all part of the game." Trossard didn't feel there was a problem with his teammates. "Sometimes that is necessary when the game is not going well. In the end, everything was fine. Between Youri and I there was no one left behind. After that we managed to score the equalizer together." In the 89th minute, Tielemans scored the second goal after a pass from Trossard. Coach Rudi Garcia also considered the moment positive. "I think it's just good. It shows there is energy in the team. Leandro and Youri really want to win. I don't even know what caused the dispute," said Garcia. "I want players who do everything to turn the game around. They play an important role here." The Belgian media itself is not too worried about the dispute. However, the game displayed by the Belgian national team is the main concern. "It's okay to celebrate this result, but the coach has to go back to the drawing board. Because you can't win a match like this twice," said Sporza. "The big conclusion to draw is that the coach's plans didn't work. There was no pressure, lots of wrong passes, and on both goals the attackers were free to move. This is very disappointing." "Belgium had to fight, because they barely touched the ball," added Het Nieuwsblad. "And when they did win the ball back, their play was too careless and full of fear. Only Trossard occasionally found a teammate between the lines, but Belgium were almost never dangerous."