Van Bommel: Crowd Fell Silent When the Ball Hit the Net Up Front

Belgium beat Turkey 2-1 in the 5th match of UEFA Nations League Group 4. Speaking after the match, Belgium head coach Mark van Bommel said they pressed high so that the stands could not put pressure on them.

Van Bommel said, "When the ball went in at the front, the spectators also fell silent. We needed 4-5 weeks to prepare better, but unfortunately we did not have that chance. Especially in the second half, we controlled the game until the 65th minute. It was not easy." The head coach noted that Turkey pressed very quickly at the start and said the opponent deserved credit. Van Bommel described how his team recovered and returned to the game after conceding a goal, and he also acknowledged that they lost the ball too often.

Praising Leandro, van Bommel said, "He can play between the lines, he is physically ready and he can also move out to the wings. He brought calm back to the team and kept possession. He had a very good performance today." He also said Doku is a smart and quick player.

Touching on the pitch conditions, van Bommel said the surface was very poor and that it is necessary to keep concentration high on this kind of pitch. Explaining that Kevin De Bruyne was injured during the match, the head coach added that the player may have been unhappy on the pitch because he was not satisfied with his own performance.