Romeo Lavia impressed on his return to the Belgium national team, despite his side losing 1-0 to France
Romeo Lavia.
Romeo Lavia made a positive return to the Belgium national team(Image: Franco Arland - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
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Romeo Lavia admitted his star performance for Belgium was "pointless" after they fell 1-0 to France in the Nations League.
The Chelsea midfielder shot down reporters when asked about his impressive return to the national side since 2023. Lavia played 85 minutes before being subbed off, just moments before Michael Olise won the game for France.
Lavia said after the game: "I made some good plays, I don't like to talk about myself when the result isn't going our way. If we don't get the three points, it's pointless. It's hard to say, right now, I can't give an answer. But it comes down to details. We had chances too, you could say it wasn't our day.
"It's a way of protecting ourselves too, but well, that's football. We gave what we could, I'm proud of the team and the performance. It's the beginning of a new era, with a new coach, we can be proud of that, we just need to learn some good lessons for the next match.
"We have the qualities, there's no doubt about it. If we add intensity, we created big problems for the opposition. We saw that today, that's what will be our strength."
French forward Ousmane Dembele and Belgian midfielder Romeo Lavia during the UEFA Nations League match between Belgium and France at King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels, on September 28, 2026.
Lavia managed 85 minutes on his first start since 2023(Image: MARCEL VAN DORST/EYE4IMAGES/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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Belgian media were impressed with Lavia's performance, with RTBF Actus handing him the second-best rating in the team. Nathan Ngoy got the highest marks with a 7/10, with the Chelsea star rated 0.5 lower at 6.5/10.
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The report stated that the midfielder was "top-tier" for most of the game before being taken off with cramp. Le Soir also reported that Lavia "more than made his mark" for his country after seizing the opportunity to return during this international break.
New boss Mark van Brommel has added to Lavia's view of the game, adding that the "disappointment was immense" at full-time. He said: "It's a shame to concede that goal at the end of the match. The players played with a lot of commitment."