Thibaut Courtois was replaced by Senne Lammens in goal during the second half of the FIFA World Cup 2026 quarterfinal between Belgium and Spain in Los Angeles on Friday.
The Real Madrid keeper went down holding his hamstring in the 64th minute and had to be replaced by the Manchester United shotstopper who made his World Cup debut.
Courtois seemed to be in tears as he made way for Lammens right after the hydration break in the second half.
The 24-year-old Lammens came on for just his third cap for the Belgian Red Devils. He had earlier started one World Cup qualifier and an international friendly after impressing in his debut season in Manchester.
Lammens unfortunately had a negative impact on the final result of the game. He could not keep out a shot from Pau Cubarsi and spilt it towards Mikel Merino who scored the winning goal in the 88th minute to force Belgium’s exit from the tournament.
Courtois had hinted early on in the tournament that this could be his final World Cup campaign for the national team. He has been capped 115 times by his country was part of the squad that finished third at the quadrennial event in 2018.
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Published on Jul 11, 2026