If the Red Lions wanted to have a chance to participate in the World Cup again, they had to beat Great Britain, number 47 in the world ranking. The Belgians also started well and sped away from the British in the second quarter.
At halftime they were already leading 26-42.
Even after the break, the difference in level remained large. In the third and fourth quarters, the Lions won 13-20 and 20-26, the final score of 59-88 spoke volumes.
Jonathan Tabu was the best scoring Lion with 15 points and Manu Lecomte (13), Thijs De Ridder (13), Alexandre Limbert (10) and Haris Bratanovic (10) also scored above ten points.
Because Serbia suffered a 97-92 defeat in Greece on Friday, the Belgians have a water chance of qualifying. They have to beat Turkey in Bergen on Monday, while Serbia has to be surprised at home by the British, the weak brother in the group.
After eight matchdays, Belgium is fourth in group I with 13 points, after Latvia (17), Greece (15) and Serbia (14) and ahead of Turkey (12) and Great Britain (10). The top three qualify for the World Cup that will take place in Indonesia, Japan and the Philippines from August 25 to September 10.
