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Thibaut Courtois has spoken of his deep sadness after suffering a quadriceps injury that ended his participation in Belgium’s dramatic World Cup quarter-final defeat to Spain. The Real Madrid star left the field in tears, moments before his replacement, Senne Lammens, made a costly late mistake that allowed Mikel Merino to score Spain’s decisive goal in their 2-1 win.

Courtois sustains muscle injury

Belgium’s first-choice goalkeeper was forced to withdraw during the second half after sustaining a quadriceps muscle strain in the World Cup quarter-final clash against Spain. The 34-year-old briefly attempted to continue but eventually walked off in tears in the 71st minute. His replacement, Lammens, unfortunately failed to handle a shot from Pau Cubarsi, enabling Merino to capitalise and secure Spain’s 2-1 victory in Los Angeles.

Goalkeeper explains substitution decision

After the match, Courtois described how the injury developed. Although he felt capable of continuing to guard the goal for defensive actions, he respected the decision of Belgium manager Rudi Garcia, who opted not to risk aggravating the injury for the rest of the match.

Courtois explained: “It’s really disappointing to go off. It was a special game, and I felt good. I had taken two goal kicks, but on the second one, I felt a sharper pain in my quadriceps. I told the staff that I couldn’t hit long balls anymore.

“I felt I could have stayed in goal, but the coach said he would take me off if I wasn’t one hundred percent. I wanted to keep playing, but he made the decision to substitute me. That’s okay — the team always comes first.”

Standing by his understudy after late error

The defeat was especially painful as Lammens, earning only his third senior cap, made an unfortunate mistake that led directly to Spain’s 88th-minute winner. Despite the heartbreak, Courtois immediately showed leadership and compassion by consoling his teammate after the match.

The former Chelsea goalkeeper also insisted that Belgium’s players should take pride in their performance, particularly after becoming the only team to score against Spain during the tournament.

Courtois said in support of his teammate: “It’s unfortunate that Senne couldn’t hold onto that ball. We all went up to console him after the final whistle. Senne is a top goalkeeper. This is bitter, but experiences like these make you stronger. We should be proud — we’re the only side that managed to score against Spain, one of the tournament favourites.”

He also spoke about what lies ahead for his international career: “I’ve really enjoyed being part of this tournament with the team. I’m happy. We’ll see what’s next — I’ll discuss it with the coach and Vincent [Mannaert] before making a decision.”

Uncertain future for the Red Devils

Courtois’ injury adds to Belgium’s growing list of absentees, following earlier exits of Amadou Onana and Youri Tielemans during their campaign in North America. Rudi Garcia’s squad now return home with heavy disappointment and questions about the futures of several key senior players ahead of the next international break.

The Real Madrid goalkeeper is expected to undergo detailed medical tests upon his return to Spain to evaluate the extent of the muscle injury before the start of pre-season training.