Read 3 minutes11 July 2026 02:40 PM IST
Veteran Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has revealed that despite a leg injury, he wanted to stay in the quarter-finals and coach Rudy Garcia’s decision to replace him with Seine Lamens. The move backfired in the 88th minute when Lamens failed to clear a long-range shot from Pau Qubarsi, allowing Mikel Merino to pounce on the rebound to give Spain a 2-1 win.
“Obviously I wanted to go on, but the coach wanted someone 100 per cent, so it’s his decision. I wanted to try to play another five or 10 minutes because I felt better scoring goals,” Courtois told reporters after the FIFA World Cup 2026 match in Inglewood.
The 34-year-old said he was in pain after launching a long kick in the second half. “I felt something in my muscle here. Then, I made some saves, I felt OK, so I thought, OK, let’s keep going. Then I hit the long kick again and I felt it a little bit more.”
He added, “I was saving, and I didn’t have a problem saving it. I just had a problem with the long kick. So it’s the coach’s decision and there’s no problem with it.”
Nevertheless, Courtois has backed Manchester United custodian Lamens after the costly error. “Sene, obviously, I gave him a big hug. I know, for goalkeepers, it’s a bad feeling, and he’s a great goalkeeper, and this will only make him stronger. He’ll have a few holidays and then regroup in Manchester and have a good season.”
Meanwhile, Garcia lamented Courtois’ injury and considered it an important moment for Belgium. “To beat him in a game – it was very hard to take,” Garcia said. “When you start racking up years, you always have to be at 100% of capacity. Because if you’re not… it can be problematic.”
“Thibaut was there to keep the ball out of the net, but unfortunately to beat a team of this caliber… the stars weren’t aligned.”
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As for his future in Belgium, Real Madrid star Courtois said he may take a break from international action and return for the 2028 Euro qualifiers. “As for my future with the national team, we will see. I might want to take a break from the Nations League, which is not as important, and maybe come back for the Euro qualifying campaign.”