Sadness for Belgium's 'golden generation'

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

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."

Some echoed the love-hate relationship and inferiority complex many French-speaking Walons have with their bigger neighbour France.

"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."

French speakers, who share a country with Dutch and German speakers, are particularly sensitive to what they see as France's condescending attitude toward them.

It's only the second time in history that Belgium have reached the World Cup semifinals, 32 years after Diego Maradona's Argentina beat them at the same stage in Mexico in 1986 before going on to win the title.

France won the World Cup in 1998 and are now in their third final.

But Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel was full of praise for the Red Devils.

"Bravo @BelRedDevils for your performance and having thrilled us until the semifinal," Michel tweeted.

For many observers, this generation of talented players including Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne, Vincent Kompany and others had a real chance to come home victorious.

"Regrets are eternal. It will not be our day of glory on this 10 July," a presenter of Belgium's French-language RTBF television station said after the final whistle.

But he thanked the team.

"Thanks for having allowed, thanks to football, to forget everything a bit and enjoy moments of pleasure."

Analysts have also praised the multicultural team, including those whose parents are Congolese and Moroccan immigrants, for helping to unite a country split by political tensions over the Dutch and French language.