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Belgium captain Eden Hazard has shrugged off reports of a rift within the team, saying he 'had a good talk' with Kevin De Bruyne after the latter's comments about the aging Red Devils squad.
Earlier, the Manchester City star said that Belgium are not in the race to win the 2022 FIFA World Cup because the team is too old. The Red Devils suffered a humiliating 2-0 loss against a young Moroccan side in their second game after opening their campaign with a 1-0 win over Canada.
There were reports of a major fallout among the Belgian players after the shock defeat.
However, those rumors have been dismissed by Hazard and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, saying that the media have blown their disappointment over the Morocco loss out of proportion.
Ahead of their do-or-die clash against 2018 World Cup finalists Croatia in their last Group F game, Hazard said that Belgium are ready for the challenge. He said (via CGTN):
"We had a good talk among the players. A lot has been said. We talked for an hour about good things and less good things. Now we want to win against Croatia. We now have two days to prepare. We have to be ready.''
Hazard also added that his conversation with De Bruyne was healthy and confirmed his belief in the group. He said:
"Nothing happened in the dressing room. Only the coach (Roberto Martinez) spoke. I spoke to Kevin De Bruyne; he does believe in the group."
Belgium, with three points from two games, are third in their group, behind Croatia and Morocco, who have four points apiece. Canada, who are winless, are out of knockout stage reckoning.
A loss will knock Belgium out of the competition. The Red Devils need to beat Croatia to be sure of qualification. A draw will only be enough if Canada beat Morocco by more than three goals, as Belgium (-1) have an inferior goal difference than Morocco (+2).
Belgium goalkeeper urges team to banish negativity ahead of crunch Croatia clash
Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was disappointed after conceding two goals against Morocco. However, he has urged his team to avoid negativity amid alleged rumors of a team rift ahead of their crunch game against Croatia.
He accused the media of making baseless allegations of a team fallout in the Belgian camp, saying 'there are too many lies outside'. Speaking ahead of the Croatia game, Courtois said via Football Daily:
"Nothing happened; we were disappointed with the defeat. The manager spoke a little bit after the game, and that was it. There's too many lies always, outside, and the social media is developing. ... A situation gets created that doesn't exist, and I think as a group we have to keep the negativity outside and just be positive because we have a great team, and we can still do it (qualify for knockouts)."
Belgium take on Croatia on Thursday (December 1) at the Ahmat Bin Ali Stadium in Al-Rayyan.
