Belgium Goalkeeper Courtois Blasts France Victory

Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois is understandably sore at not making the finals of the World Cup and he’s stated that his team’s defeat by France in Tuesday’s semifinal was a “shame for football”.

The Chelsea shot-stopper was heavily critical of Didier Deschamps’s side for their defensive style of play.

Centre-back Samuel Umtiti’s 51st-minute header from a corner gave France a 1-0 win, as they defended deep to close it out and reach a third World Cup final.

“It was a frustrating match. France didn’t play at all, they defended with 11 players within 40 metres of their goal,” Chelsea goalkeeper Courtois 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 team who play nothing, just defend.

“Against Uruguay (in the quarterfinals) 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.”

France, the 1998 champions, will face either England or Croatia in Sunday’s final at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium, with Belgium taking on the losers in the third-place playoff.