Courtois: We Did Not Perform at the Required Level Against Egypt and World Cup Matches Are Complicated
Thibaut Courtois, the goalkeeper for the Belgian national team, confirmed that his team did not perform at the required level against the Egyptian national team in yesterday's World Cup match.
The Egyptian national team secured a 1-1 draw against Belgium in the match that brought the two teams together on Monday evening, in the first round of the group stage of the 2026 World Cup.
Courtois said in a media statement: "We did not perform at the required level against Egypt. In the first half, we were not at our best, but our performance improved in the second half. The Egyptian team created some chances against us, and overall, the match was good."
He added: "I see that we were not decisive in front of the goal. We needed to capitalize on opportunities and play with more speed and precision. There were some spaces behind the defenders, but we did not take advantage of that."
He continued: "In the second half, we corrected things, the spaces were larger, and our threat on goal increased."
He explained: "I think we could have scored in the last 5 minutes of the match, but sometimes you have to know how to avoid losing, so a draw is a fair result."
He concluded: "All matches in the World Cup are very complex and extremely difficult, and Spain's match against Cape Verde is proof of that."
The Egyptian national team secured a 1-1 draw against Belgium in the match that brought the two teams together on Monday evening, in the first round of the group stage of the 2026 World Cup.
Courtois said in a media statement: "We did not perform at the required level against Egypt. In the first half, we were not at our best, but our performance improved in the second half. The Egyptian team created some chances against us, and overall, the match was good."
He added: "I see that we were not decisive in front of the goal. We needed to capitalize on opportunities and play with more speed and precision. There were some spaces behind the defenders, but we did not take advantage of that."
He continued: "In the second half, we corrected things, the spaces were larger, and our threat on goal increased."
He explained: "I think we could have scored in the last 5 minutes of the match, but sometimes you have to know how to avoid losing, so a draw is a fair result."
He concluded: "All matches in the World Cup are very complex and extremely difficult, and Spain's match against Cape Verde is proof of that."
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