Zidane praises Chelsea midfielder Romeo Lavia after Belgium defeat

Zinedine Zidane praised Romeo Lavia’s quality after the Chelsea midfielder impressed in Belgium’s 4-1 defeat by France at the Stade de France on Monday.

Lavia supplied Belgium’s opening goal with an exceptional pass from deep inside his own half, finding Dodi Lukebakio through the France defence. The ball cut out seven French players before Lukebakio was released.

Belgium could not hold on to their lead, however, as France scored four times after half-time to complete a convincing comeback following a strong start to the second half.

Lavia played in all four of Belgium’s matches during the international break. He started their two defeats by France, playing 85 and 87 minutes respectively, and came on as a substitute in victories against Italy and Turkey.

Although Zidane said he had been concentrating on his own players during the match, the France head coach said Lavia’s assist had caught his attention when he saw it again during the interval.

“I didn’t watch his individual performance because I was keeping an eye on my own players, but I really liked his pass,” Zidane said when asked about the Chelsea midfielder’s contribution.

“I watched it again in the changing room at half-time, during the analysis. He’s a quality player. But he’s not the only one in the Belgian team.

“There are plenty of them, even amongst those who came on as substitutes. They’ll always cause us problems when we face them again.

“We needed to show a reaction to win, and it’s good that we did.”