Thibaut Courtois backed Belgium substitute goalkeeper Senne Lammens after his late error gifted Spain a 2-1 victory in their World Cup quarterfinal on Friday.
Courtois was forced off in the 71st minute with a muscular problem, making way for the 24-year-old Lammens at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
Lammens’ appearance ended painfully when he failed to deal with Pau Cubarsi’s long-range strike, allowing Mikel Merino to pounce and score Spain’s 88th-minute winner.
“I gave him a big hug. He’s a great goalkeeper. You only get stronger from this,” Courtois said.
“He is a strong guy with a strong personality. I’m sure he’ll be fine. He will have some holidays, then regroup in Manchester and have a great season.”
Courtois revealed he had felt pain in his right leg after a clearance early in the second half but wanted to continue.
“Obviously, I wanted to continue, but the coach wanted someone 100 per cent,” he said. “I wanted to try to play maybe five or 10 minutes because I was feeling good and making saves.
“That’s a decision of the coach, and that’s not a problem. Obviously, you’re not happy when you have to leave a World Cup quarterfinal, but sometimes it is what it is.”
Belgium defender Brandon Mechele also supported Lammens, describing the mistake as a “learning moment”.
“It was not the easiest ball. I think it bounced just in front of him, and we as defenders could have helped him by following up more,” Mechele said.
“He needs to learn from this, and as a group we have to be there for each other.”
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Published on Jul 11, 2026