Losing To France, Martinez Says Belgium Can't Carry The Burden Of Stealing The Trophy

Belgium National Team (Twitter @Belreddevils)

JAKARTA - Belgium coach Roberto Martinez said the burden of responsibility on his players to get the trophy was the cause of Belgium's defeat to France in the UEFA Nations League semifinals on Friday morning.

Belgium failed to maintain their two-goal lead and suffered a 3-2 loss to France, conceding a goal in the 90th minute three minutes after Romelu Lukaku's goal was ruled out for offside.

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Belgium's star-studded squad, including Lukaku, Kevin de Bruyne and Eden Hazard, have been dubbed the country's 'golden generation', but they again failed to win an international trophy three months after being knocked out in the Euro 2020 quarter-finals by Italy.

"The second half was a question of emotion, they felt the responsibility to reach the final," Martinez said at his post-match news conference.

"Suddenly we wanted to finish the game. That's when we stopped playing. If anything, it's a responsibility we feel to our fans and the way this generation really wants to bring home trophies."

Goals from Yannick Carrasco and Lukaku in the space of three minutes sealed Belgium's good form in the first half, but the second half was poor.

The defeat was the latest disappointment for Belgium supporters, who have seen their "golden generation" crash out of the quarter-finals of the last two European Cups and finish third at the 2018 World Cup.

However, Martinez hopes the experience can come in handy ahead of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

“What we have to maintain is the commitment and the desire to be there. We are in the right phase of the competition," he said.