Thibaut Courtois shares kind words about Senne Lammens after his mistake knocks Belgium out of the World Cup
Thibaut Courtois showed a lot of support for Senne Lammens after his mistake led to Belgium losing to Spain in the quarter-finals. Spain, coached by Luis de la Fuente, were the clear favorites going into the game at Los Angeles Stadium, and the first half went mostly as expected. Spain scored first with a goal from PSG’s Fabian Ruiz around the 30-minute mark, but Belgium fought back and equalized 10 minutes later. Charles De Ketelaere scored with a powerful header, only Belgium’s second shot of the game.
Things got tougher for Belgium when Courtois hurt his left thigh in the second half and couldn’t keep playing after treatment. The Real Madrid star looked upset as he left the field, and Senne Lammens took his place. Lammens has been doing well at Manchester United since joining last summer, but he had a tough moment against Spain. In the 88th minute, he made a big mistake by dropping a shot from Pau Cubarsi, which then let Mikel Merino score from close range.
After the game, Courtois said he believes Lammens will come back even stronger after this. “It’s a shame Senne couldn’t catch that ball, but that’s football,” he said. “Mike, Guy, and I went to give him a hug right away. There’s not much you can say in that moment. Senne is a great keeper with a bright future, and mistakes like this help you grow. It’s nobody’s fault—it’s part of the game.”
Belgium has made it to the World Cup semi-finals twice before, in 1986 and 2018 (when they beat England for third place). Spain, on the other hand, are only in the semi-finals for the second time ever, and their win sets up an exciting match against top favorites France on Tuesday.
For Belgium, their journey at the 2026 World Cup has ended, marking the likely end of an era for some of their stars like Romelu Lukaku, Kevin De Bruyne, and Courtois. These players have probably played their last World Cup. Courtois, who is 34, said after the game that he’s thinking about his future with the national team. “I want to take a break during the Nations League to think things over,” he shared. “Right now, it’s not the main thing on my mind. Maybe I’ll come back for the Euro qualifiers, but that decision will be up to the Federation. Depending on the direction they take, this might have been my last game.”
The Real Madrid goalkeeper’s emotional reaction on the bench hints that this could be the end of his international career after 115 appearances—a sad moment for everyone in Belgium.