Kevin De Bruyne and Belgium were booed by their own fans after their 0-0 draw with Ukraine and the Manchester City man responded in brutal fashion. The nation haven’t been at their best in Euro 2024 so far, but their 0-0 draw against Ukraine meant they will move on past the group stage and enter the knockout stages of the European Championships.
While they qualified for the knockout stages, the Belgium fans have been frustrated with what they’ve seen from their country so far, and that could be heard once the final whistle was blown and they showered their team in boos. De Bruyne, who had intended to applaud them in the stands, decided to walk away and told his teammates to do the same, walking off of the pitch and avoiding the ire of their own supporters.
It was a brutal show, and one that angered the Belgian faithful even more, but the midfielder spoke after the game and explained how he felt about the tension between the two parties.
“We tried to win the match. We had goal-scoring opportunities, but we didn’t take any risks with the corner because we knew we might concede a goal. If that happens, you’re out of the Euros. It’s a shame we didn’t manage to score before — we had opportunities — and after that we just need the fans to stay with us. We need these fans. We’ll need them against France. That’s all I have to say.”
More to follow…