Thibaut Courtois' untimely injury proved devastating for Belgium.
The superstar goalkeeper was forced to leave Friday's World Cup quarterfinal versus Spain in the second half with an apparent left thigh injury.
His replacement, Senne Lammens, made a crucial mistake that allowed Spain to score the decisive goal in the 88th minute of La Roja's 2-1 win.
Courtois, the Real Madrid netminder, was in tears as he was substituted in the 71st minute. He was treated on the pitch before eventually being replaced.
The match was tied 1-1 at the time.
For viewers in United States only:
Thibaut Courtois was visibly emotional after having to sub off for Belgium 🇧🇪
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) July 10, 2026
Senne Lammens comes on to replace him pic.twitter.com/SAf0VxNdaZ
For viewers in Canada only:
The legendary Thibaut Courtois leaves the game with injury.
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) July 10, 2026
Manchester United's Senne Lammens comes in as his replacement. #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/ybTdRxzvin
Lammens, who plays for Manchester United, came off the bench for his first World Cup appearance. It ended up being one he'll likely want to forget, as the 24-year-old failed to corral a long-range shot by Pau Cubarsi, and Mikel Merino was quickly on the scene to capitalize on the juicy rebound.
Spain advanced to play France in the semifinals.
Courtois was seen embracing a distraught Lammens after the final whistle.
Belgium also lost captain Youri Tielemans on Friday. The midfielder was scratched from the starting lineup after an undisclosed issue during the warmup in Los Angeles.
