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Zlatan Ibrahimovic did not hold back in his analysis of Belgium’s dramatic World Cup quarter-final defeat, directly blaming manager Rudi Garcia and goalkeeper Senne Lammens for the team’s downfall. The Swedish football icon expressed disbelief at the decision to replace the injured Thibaut Courtois with Manchester United’s Lammens instead of Mike Penders.

Belgium’s World Cup campaign came to a heartbreaking end after a 2-1 loss to Spain in a tightly contested quarter-final in Los Angeles. Substitute Mikel Merino scored the decisive goal in the 88th minute, taking advantage of a costly error by Lammens, who failed to hold on to a long-range shot from Pau Cubarsi after coming on for Courtois earlier in the half. The defeat led to fierce criticism from Ibrahimovic, who called out Garcia’s tactical judgement.

Working as a pundit for Fox Sports during the tournament, Ibrahimovic openly condemned Garcia’s decision to bring on the 24-year-old Lammens with 19 minutes left on the clock. The former AC Milan star was puzzled as to why the Belgian coaching team preferred the Manchester United goalkeeper over Penders, who had spent the season on loan at Strasbourg and did not feature throughout the tournament. After the match, Ibrahimovic stated, “I hold the national coach responsible for this defeat. It’s a decision that cost Belgium the match.”

Continuing his criticism, he questioned Garcia’s reasoning behind the substitution: “Why replace Courtois with Senne Lammens from Manchester United while Mike Penders sits on the bench? Is it because Lammens plays for Manchester United and Penders for Strasbourg? That’s not how you choose a goalkeeper for your national team. Especially when you see what happens next.”

Lammens’ mistake made him the first substitute goalkeeper to commit an error leading to a goal in a World Cup fixture since Dimbi Tubilandu’s mishap for DR Congo against Yugoslavia in 1974. Ibrahimovic was scathing in his assessment, calling Lammens’ performance far below international standards and insisting that Penders was the superior option.

The ex-Sweden captain was firm in his verdict: “Lammens isn’t a good goalkeeper at this level. He’s overrated. Penders is much better, and everyone can see that.”

He concluded by criticising Belgium’s coaching staff, saying, “They managed the situation terribly. It’s disgraceful. Shame on you, national team coach and goalkeeping coach.”

Spain’s victory propels them into the semi-finals, where they will face France in a high-profile clash for a place in the final, which is scheduled to take place in Dallas on Tuesday. As the Spanish side prepare for the challenge against Les Bleus, Belgium return home in disappointment, with Garcia’s future as head coach now uncertain.

As for Lammens, he faces the difficult task of rebuilding his confidence before rejoining Manchester United’s first-team squad.