Alderweireld pleased with Belgium's job well done
Friday, October 10, 2014
Article summary
"We did what we had to do and we can be happy with that," said Toby Alderweireld after Belgium's 6-0 win over Andorra; "we were patient," added boss Marc Wilmots.
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Article body
• Toby Alderweireld sure fans enjoyed Belgium's 6-0 win against Andorra
• Divock Origi says scoring is "good for my confidence"
• "We were patient," says Red Devils coach Marc Wilmots
• Andorra's Cristian Martínez gives Belgium credit
• Next games: Bosnia and Herzegovina v Belgium, Andorra v Israel (Monday)
Toby Alderweireld, Belgium defender
We started very well and we hit the woodwork a few times before we scored. I'm sure the fans in the stadium and those watching on TV enjoyed themselves.
If you don't keep your focus and your passing isn't accurate then it can be difficult to break down a team like Andorra. Nonetheless, we created plenty of chances so we can be happy with how we played. I expect a far more difficult game against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Monday.
When I played for [AFC] Ajax we often came up against teams who defended deep and didn't do much more than just clear their lines. If we didn't score early then we tended to get frustrated. But tonight we kept calm and continued to play our game, knocking the ball around and going forward whenever the chance arose. We did what we had to do and we should be happy with that.
Divock Origi, Belgium forward
I thought there was a lot of good link-up play between our attackers but also in midfield and defence. It was obviously a great feeling to score – it's good for my confidence. I'm also very grateful for the assist provided by Kevin [De Bruyne].
On Monday it will be tougher – Bosnia are a good team. They are aggressive and will have a point to prove against us. We just have to be ready and play our own game, and if we do then I'm sure we can take something out of it.
Marc Wilmots, Belgium coach
We were patient, we were always moving and we created 10–15 chances that way. With 45,000 fans at the stadium, we could not let our tempo drop.
It is difficult to play against a team who defend with eleven players. Our two full-backs attacked for the whole 90 minutes so we always had players to pass to.
Cristian Martínez, Andorra forward
Belgium are a very strong team so we knew we would be in for a tough time. We did well to keep the game level until the penalty, but when you come up against players like [Kevin] De Bruyne and [Dries] Mertens in this form then there's only so much you can do. I also thought that Divock Origi was good tonight – he was tough to play against.
Koldo Álvarez, Andorra coach
It was a tough game and we knew in advance that it would be, but the first half was very difficult. After Belgium's third goal I tried to play with five defenders so we could keep the score down to 3-0 until half-time. We made a great effort, but they are a very good team and they were enjoying playing after a long time without an official game.