Belgium suffered badly but started the 2022 World Cup with a 1-0 win over Canada on Wednesday. In the opinion of coach Roberto Martínez, the performance of the Belgians was really not good. However, he was keen to stress the importance of starting the World Cup in Qatar with three points.

“Technically it was our worst game in a major tournament. But it’s not so bad, since we won. A victory when you play badly does not happen by chance. We were a little lucky, but we remained firm, even without conceding goals, thanks in particular to the penalty saved by Courtois”, he commented.

“Am I shocked by our departure? No. It’s a different competition format, you don’t have three weeks to prepare, you only have a few days. You have to take every opportunity, we have it. did tonight. Without really being ourselves, we won,” he added.

The commander also highlighted the strength of the Canadian team, which is back in the World Cup after 36 years. John Herdman’s side even created good chances to change the story of the match, but failed to aim.

“I have a lot of respect for this Canadian team. They showed a great dynamic, aggressiveness. They delivered a good game. On our side, several elements were missing. everyone fights back. It’s impressive,” he said.

Finally, Roberto Martínez spoke about the performance of Kevin De Bruyne. One of the best midfielders in world football, the Manchester City player barely made it past the Canadians.

“We couldn’t find Kevin and so he couldn’t find himself. He’s a winner. When you don’t play well, frustration sets in. You have to be critical, understand things. We have got the three points, now we go to the next game,” he concluded.

Belgium returns to the field on Sunday, at 10 a.m. (Brasilia time), against Morocco, at the Al Thumama stadium, for the second round of group F. The Belgians are at the top of the group, with three points.