Rudy Garcia. He underestimated the African teams…and got slapped by Spain

Belgium coach French coach Rudy Garcia tasted the same trophy he mocked when his side lost 2-1 to Spain in the quarter-finals of the 2026 World Cup with a fatal 88th-minute goal, while mocking African teams’ ability to hold on to the lead.

Garcia sparked controversy after his team’s match against Senegal in the Round of 32 when he said: “We know these teams well because they lose their tactical organization in the last minutes,” in a statement that some saw as a disdain for African teams from Belgium’s Remontada, turning a two-goal deficit (2-3).

In response to his accusation of racism, Garcia issued a statement stressing that his comment was not only aimed at African teams, but rather referred to Asian, European and South American teams that lack the experience of maintaining their progress under pressure.

But fate had a different opinion as Garcia was dealt a brutal blow by Spain, who scored the winning goal in the 88th minute through a Koparsi rocket from the edge of the penalty area. It bounced off Manchester United substitute goalkeeper Sean Lammens and Moreno put it into the net.

Admittedly, an injury to Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois contributed to this loss, but allowing Koparsi to shoot comfortably from the edge of the box shows the loss of tactical organization that Garcia himself spoke of.

The scene seemed ironic as the French coach fell into the same trap that mocked him, missing out on a place in the semi-finals against France due to a last-minute goal, as he had described the African teams days earlier.