Van Bommel Sees Belgium Positives in 4-1 France Loss

Belgium ended their latest Nations League outing with a 4-1 defeat to France on Monday, but head coach Mark van Bommel insisted there were encouraging signs despite a painful late collapse.

France struck with greater force as the match wore on, with their pace, technical level and impact from the bench proving decisive. Belgium were unable to contain Les Bleus in the final 15 minutes, when the scoreline became far harsher than Van Bommel believed his side’s overall performance deserved.

The Dutch coach, only two weeks into the job, said Belgium had recovered well after a difficult opening spell. He felt his players matched the World Cup semi-finalists for long periods, retained possession effectively, stayed organised and produced a fine goal of their own.

Van Bommel also pointed to France’s depth as the key difference, saying the replacements changed the rhythm of the contest. While accepting the disappointment of conceding four times, he said he was proud of Belgium’s display and saw more positives than negatives from his first four matches in charge.

Belgium have lost twice to France during the international break, but Van Bommel’s early record also includes a 2-0 victory over Italy and a 3-0 win against Turkey. The next task is to turn those promising spells against elite opposition into a full 90-minute performance.