Soccer: Referee admitted goal mistake, says Belgium captain

KOBE, Japan - Belgium captain Marc Wilmots said Jamaican referee Peter Prendergast admitted he had wrongly disallowed the midfielder's goal against Brazil in his country's 0-2 World Cup second round loss yesterday.

Wilmots, whose first-half header was disallowed for pushing, told reporters: "It was a goal, there wasn't a foul.

"I asked the referee and he said he had seen the pictures at halftime and that there hadn't been a foul, but it was too late.

"But I don't hold it against him, that's life, that's football. He has to react quickly ... it's a shame. It's the World Cup, but that can happen in the Champions League, or anywhere."

Wilmots said his team could bow out of the tournament with their heads high, while Brazil would have to be wary of facing England in Friday's quarterfinal.

"Belgium showed they can play football and that they can attack," he said.

"Physically and mentally we were ready for another round.

"Everyone wrote us off before the match, they were all talking about Brazil v England, but I was sure we were capable of causing them problems.

"We didn't give up, we kept closing down the space and stopping them from playing. And I think that if Brazil meet another team who do that they will have problems.

"England are good at closing down space as well and play counter-attacking football. They are also dangerous in dead-ball situations, although Brazil are not bad at that either.

"It's going to be a 50-50 game."

The attacking midfielder, who scored in every game for Belgium in the group phase, had announced his international retirement before the finals -- and had no second thoughts after his last game yesterday.

"I'm 33 years old, I've been operated on 11 times and I don't think there are many players who have got back to the level that I am at now and who play up front."

- REUTERS

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