Belgium s Nations League hopes fell flat on Thursday, but Yannick Carrasco insists the squad still have faith they can achieve glory at the 2022 World Cup.
The world s number one ranked team squandered a two-goal lead as France came back to win 3-2 in their semi-final clash in Turin, Theo Hernandez scoring the crucial fifth goal of a thrilling contest in the 90th minute.
Instead of heading to San Siro to face Spain in the final, Belgium are instead back at the Allianz Stadium on Sunday, going up against European champions Italy in a third-place play-off.
It is the second such match during Roberto Martinez s tenure, the Barcelona-linked coach having previously guided Belgium to the semi-finals of World Cup 2018, where they also fell foul of France.
Belgium defeated England to claim third place in Russia, before reaching the quarter-finals at Euro 2020. Sunday s opponents Italy beat them there.
When asked if Belgium s squad still held belief in their ability to challenge at next year s World Cup in Qatar, Atletico Madrid winger Carrasco turned the tables on the media.
Do we believe that we can win a prize in Qatar? We always believe in ourselves, he told a news conference.
But do you still believe in us? Because we don t have that feeling. We know that we have a good team, that we can do something beautiful.
On Friday, the coach showed what we did well and what we did badly.
That is necessary to prepare for Qatar. A year is not long with the national team, we will use the match against France to get better.
Martinez, meanwhile, said a new cycle had now started for Belgium as they look to build towards the World Cup, which arguably presents the final chance for the Red Devils golden generation to claim a trophy.
He said: A new cycle has started, that of preparing for the World Cup.
Over the past five years we have created a style of play. Multiple players can bring what the team needs but our style of play goes beyond individuals.
We have been number one in the world for three years. Of course that is important. We want to remain number one. But our main motivation is to get better. The second half against France showed we are not the finished product.
Belgium will be out for revenge against the Azzurri, aiming to at least end their Nations League campaign on a high. However, they will be without Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukaku, who have both been withdrawn due to what Martinez described as muscle overload .
I cannot say, Martinez said when asked if the duo would be fit for their clubs next week. That is a question for the medical department. But it is definitely about overload and not injury.
