Belgium coach Rudi Garcia conceded there is "a matter of trust" in his side's defence, after they were pegged back by North Macedonia on Friday.

The Red Devils' World Cup qualifying campaign began with a disappointing 1-1 draw in Skopje.

Maxim De Cuyper's first-half strike was cancelled out four minutes from time, with Ezgjan Alioski's stunning volley rescuing a point for the hosts.

Belgium had controlled large periods of the contest, but underperformed their 2.2 xG, with Garcia left to rue his side's shortcomings.

"We didn't play well. There are many explanations for this," he told reporters during his post-match press conference. "If you are 1-0 up, you can't give it up.

"With the last pass, we made too many wrong decisions. It is well-deserved for North Macedonia.

"It's a matter of trust. Our defenders need that. I also don't want to point too much at the defence. We also have to be able to bring more offensively. We have the qualities for that.

"Will I change my system? No, that is not necessary. You can't solve [issues] by adjusting the system."

Eyebrows were raised when Garcia substituted Kevin De Bruyne and Thomas Meunier just before the hour mark, though the Red Devils boss explained his decision was made with Monday's clash against Wales in mind.

"There is a lot of quality on the bench," he added. "I substituted Meunier because he already had a yellow card, and I need him on Monday against Wales because I only have one right-back.

"As far as De Bruyne is concerned, I also thought about Monday's match. Playing 90 minutes twice is a lot at this stage of the competition. I also thought that we regained control after the substitutions due to physical superiority."