Mark van Bommel gets warm welcome in Belgium after first international

Mark van Bommel stood on the sideline for the first time on Friday evening as head coach of the Red Devils and led Belgium to a 0-2 victory over Italy in the Nations League, after which the Belgian press unanimously praised his immediate impact.

Starting lineup and goals

Van Bommel chose to have Romelu Lukaku start on the bench, but gave Mika Godts, former Ajax striker, a place in the starting eleven. Godts immediately repaid the trust with a brilliant strike. Later Dodi Lukebakio provided the second Belgian goal.

Media reactions in Flanders

praised the former coach of, among others, PSV and Royal Antwerp and wrote: “A promising start. The Van Bommel era has begun with a bang. The head coach asked for and got recognition during his baptism of fire. Impressive, actually after barely a few training days”, and mentioned four days impact. added: “Belgium swept over Italy. We have seen a very nice debut under Van Bommel. Without Gianluigi Donnarumma the score would have been even larger”. Sudinfo emphasized: “Van Bommel managed his first match extremely well. Belgium had Italy completely under control. The commentator noted that the Dutch viewers were a bit jealous and watery‑toothed, because there was more life in the game than with the Oranje. wrote: “Veni, vidi, vici. Mark van Bommel, came, saw and immediately beat Italy (0-2)”. The article described his first three quarters as head coach as “a pure pleasure to watch” and praised the way Italy “more than once was moved from the box to the wall”.

Dream debut: Van Bommel thanks Godts after historic win over Italy

The press drew a sharp contrast with the previous head coach Rudi Garcia, who, according to them, “saw an enemy behind every corner of the stadium”. Van Bommel would, according to the newspaper, “walk around the Olimpico as if it were his own garden”, with the “Dutch branie” clearly visible.

Although the Italian team was labelled “very mediocre”, they still created chances in the closing stages, a point that Van Bommel, according to the newspaper, did not find “pleasant”. Nevertheless it concluded that the Dutchman may be “very satisfied” with his first international match as Belgian head coach.

Godts shines, Moreira wavers and Lammens shines: Belgium rated vs Italy