By GETHIN HICKS, SPORTS REPORTER
Published: 11:56 EST, 16 November 2025 | Updated: 11:56 EST, 16 November 2025
Jeremy Doku took a swipe at his Belgium team-mates on Saturday after they drew to a Kazakhstan side with nothing to play for in terms of World Cup qualifying.
The Belgians could have secured their spot in next summer's tournament with a victory in eastern Europe but now have to get a result against Liechtenstein on Tuesday to secure qualification.
The clash got off the worst possible start for Doku, Leandro Trossard and Co when the hosts' Dastan Satpaev latched on to a loose ball at the back to put Kazakhstan 1-0 up early on.
Hans Vanaken later bagged Belgium an equaliser but the Rudi Garcia-managed nation couldn't find a winner despite Kazakhstan being reduced to 10 men.
And Doku was harsh in his assessment of Belgium's performance post-match, admitting they have to be better in the absence of talesmen Kevin de Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and Thibaut Courtois.
The Man City star said: 'We've already dropped too many points because we weren't good enough in a large number of matches.
Jeremy Doku admitted Belgium's performance against Kazakhstan was 'not good enough'
The Red Devils drew 1-1 in eastern Europe after going down in the early exchanges
'Our campaign hasn't gone well, no. Everyone needs to do better. The coach, me, everyone. Kevin, Romelu. Thibaut, if we need them to win against Kazakhstan then we can't do anything at the World Cup.
'We looked at this team and thought they would play long but then they played short and started playing football. It was a completely different match than last time. Maybe we didn't analyse our opponent enough.'
Defender Arthur Theate also struggled to hide his frustration after the match.
Responding to a question about Belgium's leaking defence, he said: 'I get the impression you're always questioning the defence.
'If you feel like it, go ahead. It's not that I disagree. But if you concede a goal, that's the problem. If you don't score, it's the attack's fault.
'Of course we shouldn't have conceded that goal but we haven't conceded many goals this campaign. Agreed, conceding three goals at home against Wales wouldn't have been right.
'But otherwise, we weren't put in much danger. But you can judge for yourself. I just think we're having a good campaign defensively.'
The Red Devils currently sit top of Group J, two points clear of both North Macedonia and Wales, meaning a draw against Liechtenstein would almost certainly be enough to secure their automatic qualification for the World Cup.
Belgium now likely need a result against Liechtenstein on Tuesday to secure their automatic qualification for the World Cup.
North Macedonia and Wales face off in a crunch match on Tuesday for a play-off spot.
Craig Bellamy's side head into the clash off the back of a 1-0 win in Liechtenstein on Saturday evening.