Belgium secured their spot in the last 16 of Euro 2024, but there were few celebrations and no adulation at full-time in Stuttgart.

Instead, captain Kevin de Bruyne led his team-mates away from the fans who jeered loudly, expressing their frustration at the goalless draw with Ukraine.

Minutes earlier, the midfielder had played a corner short, kept it near the flag and did not attempt to score from the set-piece. It was eventually played back to goalkeeper Koen Casteels and met with intense booing from the Belgium support.

“There is one minute left of the game so you don’t want to take any risks,” said De Bruyne.

“I understand people want us to win but if we go for the corner, they win it back, then they score, then everyone will kill me.

“Sometimes you need to take certain risks and sometimes you need to be smart. Two minutes from the end you need to be smart, definitely.”

It was a move which sparked discontent from his side’s fans, who hours earlier had marched to the stadium in huge numbers while chanting and singing De Bruyne’s name.

Belgium ended runners-up in Group E to Romania, with four points from three matches and means Domenico Tedesco’s men must face World Cup finalists France next.

But after leaving Stuttgart on such bad terms with their supporters, what message does De Bruyne have before their crucial last-16 tie?

“We just need [the fans], I don’t know what else to say. We just need them, you know?” he said.

“We will need them against France like we needed them in the last three games.”