Domenico Tedesco Take Securities From Belgium's 2-0 Win Over Montenegro

JAKARTA - Belgium coach, Domenico Tedesco, said he had learned some valuable lessons from his team's 2-0 win over Montenegro in the Euro 2024 preparatory friendly match on Wednesday, June 5.

De Bruyne scored the opener in Brussels when he won his 100th cap and Leandro Trossard completed the win with a penalty in extra time. Although the win looks certain, Belgium still faces challenges in its performance ahead of the European Championships in Germany.

"I learned a lot today with all the changes I made, but it's more difficult to maintain the same structure after the break," Tedesco said.

"We are also more difficult to get into the game, but after 75 minutes, everything is getting better," added the coach whose team started well but was blocked by an outstanding performance by goalkeeper Montenegro who was born in England, Matija Sarkic.

Kevin De Bruyne made his first appearance for Belgium after more than a year of absence from a hamstring injury which saw him miss half a season at Manchester City.

"I'm happy to be back. It's been a long time," he told reporters after the game. "It's great to be able to play in my 100th cap in Belgium. It's a good start and a good start to score goals. We deserved to lead in the first half, but after the break, the game became a bit more difficult because of the substitution.

"It's important to get into the rhythm and get automation in our game. It also requires adjustments for me because I haven't played a lot with this team," he added.

"There are good moments, but there are also moments that can certainly be better. However, we can build from here," said the Belgian captain.

Tedesco had another friendly on Saturday before his team left for Euro 2024.

"For the next match against Luxembourg, Lukaku will return to the team for a few minutes to play. I will also adjust a few other things, but we will see later. What is clear, I will not make six substitutions in the first half again," Tedesco said.