Thibaut Courtois has thrown his support behind Belgium team-mate Senne Lammens after the goalkeepers late mistake sent the Red Devils crashing out of the World Cup. Lammens spilled a long-range effort from Pau Cubarsi in the 88th minute, allowing Mikel Merino to bundle home the winner and send Spain into the semi-finals.The Manchester United goalkeeper was visibly distraught after the final whistle, but Courtois insisted the error would not define his career.Senne, yeah I gave him a big hug, much more I cannot do, Courtois said after the match.For goalkeepers its a s**t feeling.Hes a great goalkeeper and hell only get stronger from this, so its not a problem. Eventually you cannot say much more to him, much more advice.Hes a strong guy, a strong personality and Im sure hell be fine.Hell have a holidays, hell regroup, hell go to Manchester and have a great season I have no doubt about this.Lammens had only entered the match in the 71st minute after replacing Courtois, who was forced off with a muscle problem.Table of ContentsCourtois disagreed with substitution decisionBelgium future remains uncertainCourtois disagreed with substitution decisionThe Real Madrid goalkeeper revealed he wanted to continue despite feeling discomfort during the second half.Courtois first experienced the issue following a long kick shortly after the interval but believed he was capable of finishing the game.Yeah it was with a long kick at the beginning at the second half that I felt something near my muscle, then I did some saves, I felt OK so I thought OK well continue, and then I kicked again and felt it a bit more, he said.Obviously I wanted to continue but the coach wanted someone 100%, and thats OK, its his decision.I wanted to wait five, 10 more minutes to see because in goal, I was feeling good, I was making the saves.Thats the decision of the coach, and thats not a problem.Belgium future remains uncertainWith Belgiums World Cup campaign over, Courtois admitted he will hold talks over his international future before making a decision on whether to continue.The 34-year-old suggested he could step away from Nations League duty to manage his workload before potentially returning for major tournament qualifiers.Ultimately, its something we need to discuss with the coach and Vincent Mannaert, Courtois said.It might be good to take a break from the Nations League for a year to find some breathing room in a hectic schedule and then return for the qualifiers and potentially the Euros.But in the end, thats a decision for the coach and the federation.If they dont see it that way, Ill have to consider whether or not I can keep coming back. Otherwise, today might have been my last match.Maybe Im leaning more towards continuing than stopping, but well see.Ultimately, its something we need to discuss with Vincent and the coach.Well see what their perspective is, and then we can make a decision. Topics Belgium National Football Team Senne Lammens Thibaut Courtois Add us as a preferred source on Google If you enjoy reading this article, you can help support our independent football journalism by adding 101 Great Goals as a preferred source You Should Also Read Merino revels in dream come true after authoring another Spain late show Nicholas McGee 10th July, 2026 Spain 2-1 Belgium: Merino the late hero again as Lammens error gifts La Roja semi-final spot Nicholas McGee 10th July, 2026 WATCH: Spain concede first 2026 World Cup goal as De Ketelaere cancels out Ruiz opener Nicholas McGee 10th July, 2026 LIVE Spain v Belgium: World Cup 2026 as it happened after Merino scores another late winner Jon Fisher 10th July, 2026 World Cup 2026 live: Spain vs Belgium confirmed teams and full line ups as Fabian Ruiz, Jeremy Doku and Kevin De Bruyne start, TV channel, live online stream and stats Ben Miller 10th July, 2026 Spain v Belgium: Predicted line-ups, stats and where to watch as European champions eye place in World Cup semi-finals Jon Fisher 10th July, 2026
