Belgium international Kevin De Bruyne said the pitch for his side's World Cup qualifier at Bosnia-Herzegovina was the poorest he had played on for almost 20 years.
Manchester City's De Bruyne said the conditions had left him concerned about the risk of injuries in the Group H game, which was won 4-3 by Belgium.
Manchester United midfielder Marouane Fellaini limped off with a knee problem after 30 minutes and is likely to be sidelined for a couple of weeks.
And De Bruyne told reporters: "Even metal studs didn't help in those conditions.