Sadness as Belgium's 'golden generation' exit World Cup

Belgium's defeat by France in their World Cup semi-final produced mixed feelings of sadness, gratitude and pride from fans at home on Tuesday, who bemoaned a missed opportunity for their "golden generation".

A second-half header from Samuel Umtiti in Saint Petersburg gave France a 1-0 win, earning them a place in Sunday's final in Moscow against either England or Croatia.

Thousands of crestfallen fans walked away quickly after the final whistle sounded on a giant screen in the town of Waterloo, south of the Belgian capital Brussels.

"We're very disappointed," 27-year-old Alice Cordier told AFP in Waterloo, where French emperor Napoleon was defeated by a mix of European forces in a huge battle in 1815.

"It's really too bad to lose to France, Belgium's national bad luck," she added.

"But we are still proud to be Belgian."
"We will hear it spoken about for one hundred years," 26-year-old supporter Stephanie Smeets said. "The French will take the mickey out of us."
- 'Harsh logic' -
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"Thanks for having allowed, thanks to football, to forget everything a bit and enjoy moments of pleasure."