Thibaut Courtois has rallied behind Senne Lammens after his costly error in Belgium’s World Cup quarter-final clash.
Manchester United’s No.1 was brought on in the 71st minute to replace the injured Courtois, who was unable to continue.
Senne Lammens makes World Cup debut vs Spain
The scoreline was tied at 1-1 at the time Lammens entered the fray, and it stayed that way until the 88th minute.
Youngster Pau Cubarsi then fired a powerful shot at Belgium’s goal, which, despite being saved by the goalkeeper, was ultimately spilt into the path of a pouncing Mikel Merino, who was able to capitalise on Lammens’ mistake and convert from close range.
MIKEL MERINO GIVES SPAIN THE LEAD!
It's a costly mistake from Senne Lammens who replaced the injured Thibaut Courtois 😬 pic.twitter.com/l2rOjjSudg
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 10, 2026
Courtois was subsequently shown looking disgruntled on the bench, albeit he hadn’t been at his best for Spain’s first goal on the night.
It goes without saying that such an incident on the biggest stage in football is the last thing Lammens needed when making just his third senior cap for his nation.
However, it’s one he will have to take on the chin and swiftly recover from in order to prevent his confidence from taking a major hit.
Courtois reacts to Lammens error
Although the Belgian side will be licking their wounds over yet another tournament heartbreak, Courtois did single out Lammens post-match for praise in hopes of easing some of his guilt.
“It’s true that the field is very dry, and I think he was already handling the ball with his hands when the ball arrived. That was bad luck.
“But hey, that’s football for you. Nor should we bash the boy. I think he’s a great goalkeeper. He’s had a great season at United and he’s going to continue to be a great goalkeeper, and it’s a shame for him because he doesn’t deserve it,” said the Real Madrid veteran.
Thibaut Courtois had his say after Lammens’ costly mistake led to Spain’s winning goal 🎙️#WorldCup pic.twitter.com/D2l60faeLT
— DAZN Football (@DAZNFootball) July 11, 2026
The 24-year-old enjoyed such a stellar campaign with United in 2025/2026 that he was named the Transfer of the Season upon the culmination of the term.
Making an instant impact for his new club ❤️@ManUtd’s goalkeeper Senne Lammens is @BarclaysFooty Transfer of the Season 🙌 pic.twitter.com/SG0Saqr6Gd
— Premier League (@premierleague) June 1, 2026
He’ll now have a few weeks to rest and recuperate before reporting back to Carrington for his pre-season preparations before the end of the month.
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Isabel, 25, is a football writer who has previously gained experience in the industry as the editor of Stretty News, along with work on Caught Offside, Last Word on Football and Give Me Sport. She is now the editor of UtdReport.
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