SEATTLE — Belgium has quickly turned its attention from an emotional comeback victory over Senegal to a challenging World Cup round-of-16 meeting with co-host United States, defender Maxim De Cuyper said Friday.
Belgium produced one of the tournament’s most dramatic victories on Wednesday, rallying from a two-goal deficit to defeat Senegal 3-2 after extra time in Seattle and secure a place in the knockout stage. The comeback came after Belgium trailed 2-0 before scoring three unanswered goals, including the decisive strike in extra time.
“All the emotions after the Senegal match have settled down,” De Cuyper said at Belgium’s training base. “Of course, it hit me hard at first because it was the first time I’d experienced something like that.”
The 25-year-old defender said Belgium largely executed its tactical approach despite facing a formidable opponent.
“We had a game plan that we tried to execute as well as possible,” De Cuyper said. “At times a strong Senegal side managed to break through, which isn’t unusual.”
Belgium now faces another stern challenge against the United States on Monday in Seattle, with De Cuyper expecting another physically demanding contest.
“The United States have grown into this World Cup. They have a lot of quality,” he said. “We have to show courage on the pitch. When you’re playing in front of 80,000 supporters, you have to stick to your own game.”
While pleased with Belgium’s resilience, De Cuyper acknowledged there were lessons to take from the dramatic victory over Senegal.
“There were both positives and negatives from our match against Senegal,” he said. “We need to analyze what we did wrong. It’s always better to be 2-0 up with five minutes left. But we showed a great deal of character.”
Belgium has endured several difficult moments during its World Cup campaign but has repeatedly found ways to advance, something De Cuyper believes has strengthened the squad’s mentality.
“We’ve escaped by the skin of our teeth a few times already at this World Cup,” he said. “That’s why we’re still very hungry for more. If we can get through at least one more round, there will be much more satisfaction.”
The defender said the demanding nature of the tournament has forced Belgium to adapt its style at times but insisted confidence within the squad remains high.
“The fact that things have sometimes been difficult at this World Cup is also down to the nature of the matches,” De Cuyper said. “At times you’re forced to play more on the counterattack. But we believe in our qualities. There’s no reason for us to think otherwise.”
Belgium will attempt to carry that confidence into Monday’s knockout encounter, where a victory over the United States would send the Red Devils into the World Cup quarterfinals.
