WORLD CUP | Courtois Says He Could Have Continued After Thigh Injury in Belgium Loss to Spain

Thibaut Courtois said he felt he could have continued playing after sustaining a thigh injury during Belgium’s World Cup 2026 quarter-final defeat to Spain, but was substituted in the 70th minute for Senne Lammens, according to Yahoo Sports. Courtois said he first felt the issue on a long kick early in the second half and was mainly affected when kicking long, adding that coach Rudi Garcia chose to make the change to have a goalkeeper “100%.” Courtois backed Lammens after a late mistake helped lead to Mikel Merino’s match-winning goal that eliminated Belgium. Spain will face France in the semi-finals in Dallas on Tuesday.