Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was forced off with a muscle injury during his side’s 2-1 FIFA World Cup quarterfinal defeat to Spain after admitting he could no longer kick the ball properly.
The 34-year-old had been one of Belgium’s standout performers throughout the tournament and was once again keeping Spain at bay at SoFi Stadium before suffering the injury midway through the second half. Courtois received treatment on the pitch and briefly attempted to continue before eventually being replaced by Senne Lammens.
Speaking after the match, Courtois explained that he initially wanted to play on following the cooling break but quickly realized he was unable to perform one of the key aspects of his game.
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“We had the hydration break and I wanted to continue, but it’s true that I couldn’t kick the ball 80 metres,” Courtois said.
“Then the coach said, ‘If you’re not at 100 per cent, I’ll take you off.’ The decision was the coach’s. I didn’t ask to come off.”
Belgium head coach Rudi Garcia confirmed the substitution was made because his goalkeeper was clearly struggling physically and could no longer execute long goal kicks, a vital part of Belgium’s build-up play.
Courtois’ withdrawal proved to be a decisive turning point.
Lammens was called into action immediately after replacing the veteran but endured a difficult introduction. In the 88th minute, Pau Cubarsi’s low effort slipped through the substitute goalkeeper’s grasp, allowing Mikel Merino to pounce on the rebound and fire Spain into the World Cup semifinals.
The emotional scenes after the final whistle reflected just how much the moment meant to Courtois. The Real Madrid goalkeeper was seen in tears on the Belgium bench before later consoling Lammens, whose costly mistake ultimately decided the contest.
The injury also capped a frustrating tournament for Belgium, who were already missing several influential players. Captain Youri Tielemans was ruled out before kickoff, while Amadou Onana had already been sidelined with an ACL injury suffered in the Round of 16 victory over the United States.
Although Belgium pushed Spain all the way and equalized through Charles De Ketelaere after Fabian Ruiz’s opener, Merino’s late strike sealed a 2-1 victory for the European champions and booked a semifinal meeting with France.
There is no official diagnosis yet on the severity of Courtois’ injury, but the goalkeeper indicated it was a muscular problem rather than an impact injury. Whether it requires a lengthy recovery will likely become clearer once Belgium’s medical staff complete further assessments.
For Belgium, Courtois’ substitution will remain one of the defining moments of a heartbreaking World Cup exit, with the Red Devils coming within minutes of forcing extra time before injury and an unfortunate goalkeeping error ended their campaign.
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