‘Never doubt Kevin De Bruyne's talent’ – Roberto Martinez
Belgium manager Roberto Martinez has praised Kevin De Bruyne after Manchester City midfielder put up a memorable second-half show against Denmark to help his country qualify for the Euro 2020 knockout stages.
Kevin De Bruyne
produced a fantastic performance to help
Belgium come from behind to beat Denmark 2-1on Thursday, earning plenty of praise on social media in the process.
After missing out on Belgium's 3-0 victory over Russia due to nose bone fracture suffered in the Champions League final, The 29-year-old came off the bench to supercharge Belgium.
Yussuf Poulsen
's strike in the second minute helped the Danes to a surprising early lead, but
Kevin De Bruyne
came off the bench to set up one goal for
Thorgan Hazard
and score another to put Belgium into the knockout stage with six points from two matches.
Roberto Martinez
hailed De Bruyne’s performance after the match.
"You never doubt Kevin De Bruyne's talent,"
Martinez told reporters
.
"Obviously it's a big ask to come on at half-time and be able to affect the game the way he did it.
"It's not just about talent, it's also about his know-how, and the way he played in the second half he didn't look like a player that has been through surgery, that has been away from the football pitch.
"Again, it shows you the way he has looked after himself, the way he has been focused in training. But I don't think anyone could doubt his talent.
"This was a very impressive way for a player who has been away for a long time to introduce himself and affect the game in that way."
Martinez said that the atmosphere inside Parken Stadium was a factor in Denmark making a strong start to the game.
"It's difficult to explain if you were watching on TV, it's easier if you were in the stadium.
"The fans created an incredible atmosphere and gave the home team a goal lead. At that point we were a little shell-shocked, it took us probably 20 minutes to start being ourselves.
"We couldn't get through that desire, that heart and that pressure that the Danish team put on.
"That's expected, in a way. They were playing at home, they needed to win to qualify and I felt that the first half was a lot of emotion involved that took away a lot of what we can do on a football pitch."
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