Belgium coach Roberto Martinez stated his gamers have been weighed down by a “fear of losing” of their shock World Cup defeat by Morocco on Sunday. The world’s second-ranked facet should beat 2018 runners-up Croatia on Thursday to make sure of a last-16 place after their 2-0 loss on the Al Thumama Stadium. “I do think it’s because we played with a fear of losing,” stated Martinez. “They work so hard for each other off the ball but then on the ball I don’t see that enjoyment…

“We are a workforce that’s normally taking part in on the assault. We’re not taking part in with pleasure. It’s perhaps the load on our shoulders.”

Belgium have reached at least the quarter-finals of the past four major tournaments and finished third in the 2018 World Cup.

They sit second in Group F, having laboured to a 1-0 win over Canada in their opener, ahead of Sunday’s later match between the North Americans and Croatia.

“In the final recreation we have now to play to win it and as if we have now nothing to lose,” added Martinez.

“If we win towards Croatia we’re (nonetheless) within the World Cup and that is a giant motivation.”

Captain Eden Hazard was a peripheral determine for lengthy durations and was changed by Dries Mertens with half an hour remaining.

“Eden, his position was to try to get to 60 minutes. We must be taught from the previous,” said Martinez.

“He had a really sturdy efficiency, most likely the perfect I’d seen him since towards Portugal within the Euros (final 12 months).”

Injury-plagued Hazard scored the winner against Portugal but then was forced off late on with a hamstring injury that kept him out of Belgium’s subsequent quarter-final loss to Italy.

“We needed to be taught from the previous. It was an excessive amount of of a danger in that second,” added Martinez.

Veteran defender Jan Vertonghen said the defeat was down to a lack of creativity in attack.

The Belgians managed only four attempts at goal in the second half and their clearest opportunity fell to Michy Batshuayi in the fourth minute.

“We’re hardly creating any probabilities. A number of issues undergo my thoughts now, however these are issues which are greatest not stated on digital camera,” Vertonghen told broadcaster TV Sporza.

“It can solely get higher. We needed to qualify for the second spherical immediately towards Morocco. It did not work out.

“Now it’s make or break against Croatia on Thursday.”

(This story has not been edited by NDTV workers and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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