Krakow, Poland, September 3, 2014 - "We always put a lot of passion into our games and the presence of supporters makes us play our best," said Belgium’s opposite Bram Van Den Dries after winning against Puerto Rico. The scorer of 19 points for Belgium was very pleased with his team’s performance.
Could you briefly describe this match? Are you happy with your performance?Bram Van Den Dries: "At the beginning of the first and second sets we played very well. We immediately got four, five points ahead and after that they couldn’t close the gap. The third set was tighter but, frankly speaking, our win was never in danger."
Are you surprised it went so easily?Bram Van Den Dries: "Yeah, a little bit because Puerto Rico is a very good team. I think it's the toughest group and it was extremely important for us to take three points. Our goal is to advance to the second round so it was essential to win it easily and get three points."
After two matches you've got four points. Do you feel like a dark horse, a real contender right now?Bram Van Den Dries: "Yeah, for sure! Despite the fact that this group is really tough, we have a chance to go further. I think we stand a chance with every team if we play our best. We can definitely play very well against each team in our group and that's what we will try to do."
Are you ready for the match against Italy? It's going to be very tough, but I'd say they're within your reach.Bram Van Den Dries: "Sure. We won against them last year in the European Championship. I know this time it will be a different match, but we will fight for this win. Even if we lose this match, we'll have matches against Iran and France. We'll be playing our best so that we can show everything we've got."
What plays a crucial role in your game?Bram Van Den Dries: "We are a very emotional team. We always play with passion. Once we get pumped up we give it 100%."
Did you feel the support of the Belgian supporters?Bram Van Den Dries: "Yeah! It was amazing. There will be even more Belgian people coming over for the weekend. It's always nice to have such huge support during a match."