Rudi Garcia: The referee was too lenient, but he's not why we didn't win

Rudi Garcia commented on Belgium's goalless draw against Iran in the second group stage match of the 2026 World Cup. Following this result, the "Red Devils" are still without a win in the tournament and will now have to secure a victory against New Zealand in their final group game at all costs.

“We've had similar matches before, and usually, we score at least three goals. This is part of a slow start to the World Cup. At times, we looked a bit hesitant. We know exactly what result we need to achieve against New Zealand.

We lacked effectiveness in attack. I expected a match like this, with almost 70% possession, many crosses, and numerous shots. We had a few shots on target, but we didn't test the goalkeeper enough. Playing against ten men didn't help either.

Some of my players seemed a bit timid. The substitutes added dynamism and freshness. I think the referee was too lenient with the yellow cards, but we didn't lose because of him – we simply needed to play much better.

Now we need to recover well, because thirty minutes with ten men takes a serious toll physically. I believe in my team. We will beat New Zealand, we will get five points, and it doesn't matter where we finish – the main thing is to get out of the group,” Garcia stated.