Belgium's reserve goalkeeper's blunder buried the team. Courtois might not have needed to be replaced

In the 88th minute, Pau Cubarsi shot from outside the penalty area. The ball flew directly into the goalkeeper's hands, but he failed to secure it.

As a result, Mikel Merino, who came on as a substitute two minutes earlier, was first to the rebound from the goal-line and sent the ball into the net, Sports.ru recalls the sequence of events.

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The central defender's shot itself did not look dangerous, and in such an episode, confident play is expected from the goalkeeper, especially in a World Cup quarter-final. It seemed Lammens had the situation under control, but he failed.

The problem was also that at that moment, a debutant was in goal for Belgium. For Senne Lammens, these were only his 17th minutes on the field in a World Cup.

First-choice goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois felt discomfort in his thigh in the 66th minute, tried to recover during the water break, but in the 71st minute, the coach decided to substitute him anyway. Courtois left the field with tears in his eyes.

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Teammates, coaches, and reserve players supported the legendary goalkeeper, and he received medical assistance on the bench.

After the match, Courtois admitted on DAZN that there was no serious injury and he could have continued playing.

"My quadriceps muscle was hurting a lot, but I could have stayed in goal. It would only have been difficult to kick the ball far – I wouldn't have been able to send it 80 meters. The coach decided to substitute me because he believed that if a player isn't 100% ready, it's better to bring on a substitute. It's not a problem – everything is for the team."

Belgium national team head coach Rudi Garcia explained his decision after the match:

"In such a match, a player must be 100% ready. From the very beginning of the World Cup, I adopted the rule not to use players who are not in optimal form. Thibaut played excellently and helped us go on the attack with his passes. But for us, it was important not to worsen his injury. Therefore, I don't regret this decision."

Answering a question about Courtois' possible career prospects, Garcia added:

"I haven't discussed this with Thibaut yet. For now, all that is known is that he sustained a muscle injury and could not finish the match. Over the past year and a half, he has had many similar problems. Losing such a goalkeeper is a big blow, as he is one of the best in the world. But age also cannot be ignored: when injuries occur more and more often and prevent maintaining optimal form, it becomes a serious problem."

As a result, Courtois left the field, although, according to his own words, he could have continued the match.

Consequently, Courtois left the field in the final stages of the match against the Spaniards, although, as it later turned out, he could have stayed in goal.

Lammens had to urgently enter the field at the most crucial moment. And he couldn't withstand the pressure. Yes, he managed to make two saves, but at the end of the match, he fumbled the ball.

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Immediately after this, the broadcast directors showed Courtois. Moreover, he turned directly towards the camera. His facial expression said more than any words.

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After the final whistle, he also came to his young teammate's defense: "The field was very dry, and that affected the bounce of the ball – he was simply unlucky. There's no need to blame the guy. He is an excellent goalkeeper, he plays for 'Manchester United' and will show his high level many times again. It's a great shame that this happened. But that's football for you."

Today at the World Cup, two final quarter-finals: England — Norway at precisely 00:00, and Argentina — Switzerland at 4:00 AM.

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