While Zidane admitted his primary focus remained on his own squad, Lavia’s creative influence proved impossible to ignore. The French manager was particularly impressed by the 22-year-old’s vision in the build-up to the opening goal.
“I didn’t watch his individual performance because I was keeping an eye on my own players, but I really liked his pass,” Zidane revealed. “I watched it again in the changing room at half-time, during the analysis. He’s a quality player.”
Zidane also acknowledged the broader threat posed by the visitors, praising their overall squad depth. “But he’s not the only one in the Belgian team. There are plenty of them, even amongst those who came on as substitutes,” he added. “They’ll always cause us problems when we face them again. We needed to show a reaction to win, and it’s good that we did.”