Garcia ignites the debate: «These teams collapse tactically at the end» — and Senegal did not stay silent
Rudi Garcia's post-match comments after Belgium's 3-2 comeback win over Senegal sparked controversy, with the Belgian coach claiming his side knew these teams lose their tactical structure towards the end of matches.
The match was over. Garcia was smiling. Belgium had done the unthinkable, coming back from 0-2 to win 3-2 after extra time. But what the Belgian coach said in the post-match press conference shifted the conversation somewhere else entirely.
The phrase that started everything
"Senegal? We know these teams — they lose their tactical organisation before the end of the match." Rudi Garcia said it with the calm of a man stating the obvious, as if his team hadn't been on the verge of elimination until the 85th minute.
The facts that gave him partial cover
Senegal led 2-0 until the 85th minute. Three minutes were enough for Lukaku and Tielemans to turn it around, and a controversial VAR penalty at 125' settled the matter. The collapse was real. But the question remains: does that make the generalisation acceptable?
