Determined to regroup: Belgium coach Martinez laments lack of magic

ST. PETERSBURG: Belgium head coach Roberto Martinez said he was proud of his footballers despite the narrow 0-1 defeat to France on Tuesday which saw them falter at the last hurdle before the World Cup final.

Samuel Umtiti’s 51st minute header decided the game and France will play Sunday’s final, while Belgium will play in the game for third and fourth place on Saturday, reports Xinhua news agency.

“I think today is a game that was very tight and there were not many big moments that were going to decide the game. I thought we were growing into the game when we conceded the goal from the corner. The difference between defeat and winning was down to one dead ball situation,” said Martinez.

“That first goal was going to be vital. If we’d scored, France would have opened up, but we didn’t, and it came down to a corner kick,” he lamented.

Martinez said his side had given everything they had and had not suffered nerves in the game, although he was sad their usual attacking football lacked a cutting edge.

“That little bit of composure in the final third that we usually have... we got into good situations, but not scoring the first goal meant it was difficult,” said the Belgium coach, who credited “the way France defended... we couldn’t find that magic in front of goal”.

“The focus of the group was to win the tournament, so it’s a sad dressing room and that makes me proud,” he said, insisting Belgium would “give everything” to try and finish third.

“You are disappointed because you have lost the semi-final, but you need to regroup and recover and see another game as an opportunity. We have to understand it is an important game.”

“Belgian football has a wealth of young talent coming through,” said Martinez looking to the future. MOSCOW: Paul Pogba has paused after the biggest win of his international career to dedicate it to the Thai soccer team whose last members were freed from a flooded cave hours earlier.

The France midfielder took to Twitter shortly after France beat Belgium late Tuesday to advance to the World Cup final. He posted the boys’ photos and said the victory “goes to the heroes of the day, well done boys, you are so strong.”

The last of the 12 boys and their coach were freed earlier in the day from a cave where they had been trapped for more than two weeks.

FIFA had invited the team to the World Cup final on Sunday but the governing body announced the boys wouldn’t be able to attend since they are receiving medical treatment after their ordeal.

Paris has erupted in firecrackers, flares and shouts and tears of joy after France advanced to the World Cup final. Red smoke rose up from flares fired by fans on the Right Bank esplanade outside City Hall, where crowds watched a broadcast of the 1-0 victory over Belgium on huge screens Tuesday night.

Fans poured onto streets around the city, from the chic Champs-elysees to workingclass neighbourhoods on the edge of town.