WORLD CUP USA ’94 / THE FIRST ROUND : SPOTLIGHT : DEVIL OF A TIME AGAINST SAUDIS

After losing to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, 1-0, the atmosphere in Belgium is one of astonishment, sadness and discouragement, and there has been sharp criticism of the team’s poor performance.

More than an hour before the game began at 6:30 p.m. Brussels time, streets were deserted. Shops closed early and offices were empty. All were expecting an easy game. Overconfidence was blamed when the team lost.

The national Belgian daily Le Soir had this headline: “Days of grace ending already for the Devils; beaten by Saudi Arabia, they have spoiled the feast.”

The daily La Libre Belgique read: “The Red Devils fall back on earth.”

For Jean-Francois Jourdain of Le Soir, “as soon as they do not have to fight for their life, the Red Devils are capable of losing against 11 old ladies, each playing with a cup of tea in their hand.”

For Benoit De Smedt in La Libre Belgique, “There is obviously great distress and grief in the Belgian team after the match.” He underlines Coach Paul Van Himst’s taking 45 minutes to get out of the changing room, and quotes him as saying, “I cannot have a grudge against my players. Some of them were literally dead at the final whistle.”

In Le Soir, Jacques Hereng detailed the failures of each player, calling it a “collective wreck, an appalling performance . . . of a team that did not have a soul anymore.”