Sadness as Belgium's 'golden generation' bows out

BRUSSELS— Belgium's defeat by France in their World Cup semifinal produced mixed feelings of sadness, gratitude and pride from fans at home on Tuesday, who bemoaned a missed opportunity for their "golden generation."

A second-half header from Samuel Umtiti in Saint Petersburg gave France a 1-0 win, earning them a place in Sunday's final in Moscow against either England or Croatia.

Thousands of crestfallen fans walked away quickly after the final whistle sounded on a giant screen in the town of Waterloo, south of the Belgian capital Brussels.

"We're very disappointed," 27-year-old Alice Cordier told AFP in Waterloo, where French emperor Napoleon was defeated by a mix of European forces in a huge battle in 1815.

"It's really too bad to lose to France, Belgium's national bad luck," she added. "But we are still proud to be Belgian."

Some echoed the lovehate relationship and inferiority complex many French-speaking Walons have with their bigger neighbor France.

"We will hear it spoken about for one hundred years," 26-year-old supporter Stephanie Smeets said. "The French will take the mickey out of us."

French speakers, who share a country with Dutch and German speakers, are particularly sensitive to what they see as France's condescending attitude toward them.

It's only the second time in history that Belgium have reached the World Cup semifinals, 32 years after Diego Maradona's Argentina beat them at the same stage in Mexico in 1986 before going on to win the title.