"It was a frustrating match. France didn't play at all, they defended with 11 players within 40 metres of their goal," Courtois told Belgian TV channel RTBF
A disappointed Belgium skipper Eden Hazard after losing to France and Thibaut Courtois
Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois said his team's defeat by France in the World Cup semi-finals on Tuesday was a "shame for football", criticising Didier Deschamps's side for a defensive style of play. "It was a frustrating match. France didn't play at all, they defended with 11 players within 40 metres of their goal," he told Belgian TV channel RTBF.
"They played on the counter-attack with Kylian Mbappe, who is very quick. That's their right. They know when an opponent plays very deep, that's where we have problems. The frustration is there because we didn't lose to a team who are better than us, we lost to a side who did not play anything and just defended. "Against Uruguay [in the quarter-finals] they scored with a free-kick and a goalkeeping error. Today, a corner. It's a shame for football that Belgium didn't win today."
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