BRUSSELS รข€¢ Belgium coach Roberto Martinez has defended Thibaut Courtois following his error on Thursday, which led to an equaliser during the 3-1 win over Russia in their Euro 2020 Group I qualifier at Brussels' King Baudouin Stadium.
Captain Eden Hazard scored twice for Belgium to spare the blushes of his goalkeeper, who gifted Russia's Denis Cheryshev a soft goal when he failed to clear the ball in time.
"After that incident, you could see why Thibaut is the No. 1 in the world," Martinez said in a press conference after the match.
"He played as if nothing had happened and remained icy calm.
"Impressive, the way he reacted after his mistake. Credit to Russia for that counter goal. At times they put a lot of pressure, so we made the wrong decision at the time."
Youri Tielemans opened the scoring with his first international goal before Hazard netted his brace to clinch the three points for Belgium.
Martinez's men led as early as the 15th minute when Timothy Castagne's pass fed Tielemans on the edge of the box and, as Russia's defensive line opened up, the Leicester midfielder fired a low shot past goalkeeper Guilherme Marinato.
But their lead lasted barely a minute before Courtois made his error.
The Real Madrid custodian dallied in possession following a back-pass and, when pressed into action, he gave the ball straight to Cheryshev on the edge of the box and the winger, who scored four goals at last year's World Cup, finished into an empty net.
He was, however, unfazed and insisted after the match that such instances do not happen often for him.
"I don't think I've made many mistakes in my career, so if you make one, you're obviously not happy," said the 26-year-old .
"I am satisfied with the victory and also with the game I played after my foul. I remained calm, I am happy with that. There is no problem."
Striker Michy Batshuayi was asked by Martinez to lead the line in the absence of the injured Romelu Lukaku, while the Hazard brothers, Eden and Thorgan, played together for only the third time in a national team shirt.
"I enjoyed myself tonight. I take a lot of pleasure from this victory, in which I scored two goals," said skipper Hazard.
"After our last game against Switzerland (a 5-2 Nations League defeat), we had to respond in front of our own fans."
REUTERS
Learn Spanish with Fluencia, the easiest way to learn Spanish from the creators of SpanishDict Explore SpanishDict We've combined the most accurate English to Spanish translations, dictionary, verb conjugations, and Spanish to English translators into one very powerful search box.
[Spanish] [Non-VoiceOver] Equestria Girls Rainbow Rocks
Time for Sanchez, Lukaku to shine. The emergence of an invigorated Manchester United attack has seen Alexis Sanchez (far left) and Romelu Lukaku fall down the pecking order. PHOTO: REUTERS.
Time for Sanchez, Lukaku to shine - theworldnews.net
801-544-9867 Watch Repair. Name Brand Watches and Clocks
Clock core on eBay | Seriously, We have EVERYTHING
AD
Football: Gunners have 'hell of a lot of work to do
Iran coach Queiroz set for Colombia switch after Asian Cup. (AFP) — Iran coach Carlos Queiroz said yesterday that he was "honoured" to be courted by Colombia, who want the former Real
Iran coach Queiroz set for Colombia switch after Asian Cup
PSG coach Tuchel hits out at Neymar after fan attack French Cup final Thomas Tuchel on Monday blasted Neymar for hitting a fan who insulted Paris Saint-Germain players as they filed up to
PSG coach Tuchel hits out at Neymar after fan attack
Jurgen Klopp hails Liverpool's fighting spirit as he sets points target for title. Mohamed Salah ran from inside his own half to find the net for the first time in nine Klopp said: "The
Klopp sets Liverpool a huge points target and hails Anfield
Paris Saint-Germain forward Neymar has vehemently denied a rape allegation being levelled at him to Sao Paulo police, following claims from a Brazilian woman he met in Paris.
Neymar denies raping woman in Paris hotel - standard.co.uk
Pundit Chris Sutton lashed out at the Spain international, telling BBC Sport "Kepa should be sacked". The former Blues forward said: "I've seen players disgruntled before and throw a boot or their
Chelsea news: 'Kepa should be sacked, not Maurizio Sarri
Brazil star Neymar denies claims he raped a woman in a Paris hotel and says he was 'set-up' as he shares WhatsApp messages sent between the pair in a seven-minute Instagram video
Neymar denies rape accusation, calls it 'extortion
SINGAPORE - New Football Association of Singapore (FAS) technical director Joseph Palatsides hopes to rouse local football from its slumber. "I see Singapore football as a sleeping giant," said
Football: New FAS technical director Joseph Palatsides aims
LONDON: Jurgen Klopp has condemned 'disgusting' racist abuse aimed at Mohamed Salah and called for lifetime bans for the Chelsea fans accused of taunting the Liverpool star. A video circulated on social media ahead of Chelsea's Europa League match at Slavia Prague this week showed a group of six supporters chanting "Salah is a bomber
Liverpool coach Klopp condemns 'disgusting' Salah abuse ahead
April 27 (Reuters) - Ryan Babel struck a potentially deadly blow to Cardiff City's Premier League survival chances with a stunning 25-yard strike that secured Fulham a deserved 1-0 win at Craven
Soccer: Babel strike leaves Cardiff on brink of relegation
Read ๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ฏ๐ข. A QUEEN IN THE MAKING from the story ๐ฐ๐ด๐จ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฌ. ๐ฎ๐ข๐ณ๐ท๐ฆ๐ญ. by NASASTAN (๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
Queen in the Making : 30 Week Bible Study for Teen Girls
No comments:
Post a Comment