Rudi Garcia surprises with his decisions during the Belgium vs. Senegal match

On the night from Wednesday to Thursday, the Belgian national team advanced to the 1/8 finals of the World Cup, defeating Senegal in extra time. This result was the result not only of football skills, but also of controversial decisions by coach Rudi Garcia, who surprised everyone with his changes and behavior on the sideline. At the beginning of the second half, Garcia sent off Jérémy Doku and Kevin De Bruyne, and replaced Charles De Ketelaere during the break. These decisions were widely commented on by the Belgian media, who wondered whether the coach was a genius or simply crazy. The replacement of Thomas Meunier with De Cuyper and the introduction of Moreira for Vanaken were particularly criticized, but ultimately proved crucial. Meunier provided an assist and Romelu Lukaku scored a goal that changed the course of the match.  While Garcia's decisions had a positive effect, his behavior on the bench also attracted attention. Belgian analyst Imke Courtois noticed that Garcia was using his phone more often than actually training the team, a fact that did not go unnoticed by commentators. The cooperation with Axel Witsel, with whom Garcia consulted his decisions, was compared to the situation with the biggest football stars, which was considered unusual. In the 1/8 finals, Belgium will face the United States national team, which will certainly be another opportunity to evaluate Rudi Garcia's strategy. --- ## Related Articles 1. [World Cup 2026](https://oranjenet.live/nl/news/noorwegen-ivoorkust-cijfers-haaland-deelt-hoogste-cijfer-na-late-2-1-in-dallas) 2. [World Cup 2026](https://oranjenet.live/nl/news/hoe-sterk-is-de-selectie-van-de-vs-analyse-en-verwachtingen-voor-vs-bosnie-en-herzegovina-op-het-wk-2026)