Kevin De Bruyne tells his team-mates to get off the pitch and forget about applauding fans after Belgium squad were met with loud boos following disappointing 0-0 draw with Ukraine
- Fans booed the Belgian players, forcing De Bruyne to tell them to leave the field
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Kevin De Bruyne signaled to his teammates to get off the pitch as quickly as possible after Belgian fans made their feelings clear following their team’s 0-0 draw against Ukraine.
The point earned Belgium a place in the last 16, but meant they finished second in Group E after a season in which they had already suffered a shock defeat to Slovakia.
It was another disappointing performance from the Red Devils, and the final whistle was greeted with loud cheers from their supporters.
The players continued to applaud the traveling fans, but the deafening boos only increased, leading to captain De Bruyne turning and motioning for the team to head towards the tunnel.
The Belgian players trudged off the pitch knowing they now face a huge task to progress at the European Championships after finding themselves on what appears to be the tougher side of the draw.
Kevin De Bruyne signaled to his teammates to leave the field after loud cheering at the final whistle of the 0-0 draw against Ukraine.
The boos followed another disappointing performance as Belgium failed to win the group stage
They will play France in the last 16 on Monday, with Spain, Portugal and hosts Germany also on their side of the draw.
Getting past Didier Deschamps’ men already seems like a tall order, especially given the way Belgium have performed in the tournament so far.
They huffed and puffed against a stubborn Ukrainian team but couldn’t find a way out, with Romelu Lukaku squandering a big chance early on as his winless start to the tournament continued.
The most memorable incidents of the match involved De Bruyne as he was repeatedly targeted by a laser pointer in the first half.
After being given the green light to take an early turn, De Bruyne encountered the same problem when standing over a free-kick just after the half-hour mark.
He alerted English referee Anthony Taylor to the problem, who paused the match.
When play resumed, De Bruyne attempted to score straight from a free kick with a daring effort from the right flank.
De Bruyne was the target of a laser pointer from the crowd earlier in the first half
His shot evaded goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin’s desperate dive, but ended up in the side netting.
That was about as good as it got for Belgium, as they struggled to create many clear-cut chances for the rest of the match.
As the match entered the closing stages, they were just one Ukraine goal away from elimination, but they managed to hold on for a point to stay in Germany.
However, that was not enough to satisfy their supporters, who will expect much better from their side when they return to action next week against France in the knockout stages.