Belgium have nothing to fear when they meet France in Tuesday’s World Cup semi-final having already beaten Brazil, according to midfielder Nacer Chadli.
The Red Devils progressed to the last four by defeating Brazil, who many had tipped to win a sixth World Cup after a raft of high-profile nations were eliminated before the quarter-finals.
Belgium needed a stoppage-time Chadli winner against Japan just to secure that fixture against the Brazilians but the West Brom midfielder insists that the 2-1 victory over Neymar and Co has boosted their confidence.
“If you can beat Brazil, you do not have to fear anyone,” Chadli was quoted at a press conference that was published on Belgium’s Twitter account.
“We respect everybody but if we play with fear we will not be able to beat France.
“For us, it was a big step to win against Brazil – also for our confidence and to show everybody that we could do it. Belgium is a small country, we have 11 million people. We are very proud of what we can achieve and what we can do as a group.”
Their semi-final appearance this year equals Belgium’s best ever effort at a World Cup after they also made that round in 1986.