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Two matches down, zero victories to show — the Red Devils are staring into the abyss and running out of time to claw their way back! Belgium's FIFA World Cup 2026™ campaign has lurched from frustration to frustration, beginning with a 1-1 stalemate against Egypt and deteriorating further into a barren goalless deadlock against IR Iran — a contest they dominated yet somehow contrived to lose control of. Head coach Rudi Garcia cut a resigned figure when he confessed: "Obviously, we had hoped to start better and win all our matches — or at least one. But this is a part of life — sometimes this is how the cookie crumbles." The statistics painted a damning picture: nearly 70 per cent possession, 23 attempts on goal at Los Angeles Stadium — the most Belgium have ever managed in a World Cup fixture without finding the net since USA 1994 — and still nothing to show for it. Nicolas Raskin's post-match assessment was laced with raw frustration: "I'm very frustrated. I think the ball didn't roll for us in the last 30 metres. It was the type of game in which the ball is just not dropping for you, and everything goes well for them — and their goalkeeper had a brilliant game." Garcia, while acknowledging the tactical plan was executed as intended, pinpointed the fatal flaw: "If you're not efficient you can't score, and if you don't score you can't win the match." The situation spiralled further when Nathan Ngoy's red card reduced Belgium to ten men for the final half hour, though post-match scrutiny focused overwhelmingly on the profligacy that preceded that dismissal. Romelu Lukaku, restored to the starting lineup, delivered the most piercing verdict of all: "We have to stay with the emotions, stay calm and keep our composure. That is something that we have to improve on, I think the players know that as well." With a decisive encounter against New Zealand looming, Belgium's World Cup destiny hangs by the thinnest of threads — and their composure may be the only thing standing between survival and catastrophe.
