By Victor Kanayo
Coach Roberto Martinez has quit Belgium after the second best-rated FIFA team played a scoreless draw with Croatia, condemning them to group elimination at the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
Speaking after the game, he said: ”That was my last game with the national team, I can’t carry on. It’s time for me to accept that this is the last game.”
On the much talked ageing side, Martinez said, “The golden generation is doing something that is bringing the next generation on. It’s not only what they’re doing on the pitch. The legacy can be left in many ways. Today we are out of a good tournament and now the standards need to carry on rising.
“It’s not easy to win games in the World Cup. We weren’t ourselves in first game we had a deserved defeat in second game.
‘Today we were ready, we created opportunities and today there is no regrets. We’re out but we can leave with our heads held high.
‘You see Youri Tielemans and other young players – the golden generation is doing something that is bringing the next generation on. It’s not what names are on the pitch, the legacy can be left in many ways.”
The side won one game, lost one and draw one, amassing four points that may them fall behind Morocco and Croatia who went through to the Round of 16.
In a tweet by the Belgian FA shortly after the match, they confirmed that Martinez had already made the decision to step down prior to the World Cup commencing in November.
The Spaniard had coached Belgium since 2016 and during his tenure led them to the World Cup semi-finals in 2018 and the Euro quarter-finals in 2020.
Belgium needed a win over Croatia to stand a chance of progressing in the tournament but failed to score and were held to a 0-0 draw.
