Rudi Garcia’s first match as Belgium head coach finished in defeat to Ukraine as goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois, conceded three (3) goals on his comeback to international football after an absence of almost two (2) years.
Striker, Romelu Lukaku, scored for Belgium in the 40th minute, but, Ukraine replied with three (3) goals through Oleksiy Hutsuliak and Vladyslav Vanat, and Bournemouth defender Illia Zabarnyi in the 66th, 73rd an 78th minutes respectively.
Courtois, Real Madrid goalkeeper, had not played for Belgium since falling out with former boss Domenico Tedesco in June 2023.
Garcia, former SSC Napoli manager, replaced Tedesco in January and named Courtois in his team for their Uefa Nations League play-off double header against Ukraine.
Results:
Uefa Nations League 2024/25 – Play-Offs (1st Leg) – Thursday 20 March, 2025 |
| Turkey 3-1 Hungary |
| Armenia 0-3 Georgia |
| Ukraine 3-1 Belgium |
| Austria 1-1 Serbia |
| Greece 0-1 Scotland |
| Kosovo 2-1 Iceland |
| Bulgaria 1-2 Republic of Ireland |
| Slovakia 0-0 Sloveni |
Quarter Finals (1st Leg) |
| Netherlands 2-2 Spain |
| Croatia 2-0 France |
| Denmark 1-0 Portugal |
| Italy 1-2 Germany |
