Belgium drew 0-0 with Ukraine to advance to the last 16, and their second-place result guarantees that they will face France in the next round. De Bruyne and his teammates were jeered at full-time after struggling throughout the group stage, losing to Slovakia and narrowly defeating Romania.

After taking his side over to the crowd to thank them for their support, De Bruyne was booed. As a result, he turned on his heels, leading his teammates away and down the tunnel without applauding. When he received the Player of the Match award, his name was met with loud jeers throughout the stadium.

De Bruyne told reporters, “We tried to win the match.” We had scoring possibilities, but we didn’t take any chances with the corner since we knew we might give up a goal.

“If that happens, you are out of the Euros.” It’s a shame we didn’t score earlier; we had opportunities, and now we just need the fans to stick with us.

“We need these fans. We’ll need them against France. “That is all I have to say.”

De Bruyne scored against Romania but has not provided an assist in the tournament thus far. Belgium will need him to perform at his peak if they are to beat France.