Thibaut Courtois, the Belgian national team goalkeeper, made sure to support his teammate Senne Lammens after the mistake that caused Belgium's 2-1 loss to Spain in the quarter-finals of the 2026 World Cup, stressing his confidence in the young goalkeeper's ability to overcome this difficult moment.

Courtois had left the match in the 71st minute due to a muscle injury, allowing Lammens to replace him, before the latter made a blunder in the 88th minute after failing to hold onto a long-range shot from Pau Cubarsi, leaving the ball for Mikel Merino who scored the winning goal for Spain.

Courtois confirmed that he made sure to console his teammate after the match, praising his potential and ability to overcome the situation. He said: 'I hugged him tightly. He is a great goalkeeper, and such moments make you stronger.'

He added: 'You cannot give him too much advice in such a situation. He has a strong personality, and I am confident that he will overcome what happened, get some rest, then return to Manchester and have a great season.'

Injury details

The Real Madrid goalkeeper revealed that he felt pain during the first half, but he wanted to continue the match, before coach Rudi Garcia decided to substitute him.

Courtois explained: 'I wanted to continue, but the coach preferred to bring in a player who was 100% ready. I felt I could play for another five or ten minutes, as I was saving balls normally, but the decision was up to the coaching staff.'

He added: 'Of course I am not happy to leave a World Cup quarter-final match, but sometimes you have to accept reality.'

Support from his teammates

For his part, Belgian national team defender Brandon Mechele refused to blame Lammens for the team's elimination from the tournament, stressing that the entire team bears the result.

He said: 'It is an experience he will learn from. The ball was not easy, perhaps it bounced awkwardly in front of him, and as defenders we could have given him better support.'

He concluded his remarks by saying: 'He must learn from this moment, but the most important thing is that we all stand by his side and support him as a group.'