Belgium was forced into a goalkeeper change during the second half of its World Cup quarterfinal against Spain on Friday, July 10 in Inglewood, California.

With the score tied 1-1, Thibaut Courtois appeared to injure his leg midway through the second half. He sat on the ground gripping his left thigh.

Belgium medics tended to the Real Madrid goalkeeper on the field and he returned to the pitch with his teammates after the second-half hydration break. But Courtois quickly signaled for a replacement, and Senne Lammens entered the match in the 71st minute.

Courtois was emotional on the bench as he realized he could have played his final World Cup game.

The 34-year-old joins Belgium's growing injury list. Amadou Onana is out after tearing his ACL during Belgium's win against the USA in the round of 16.

Youri Tielemans, Belgium's captain and lynchpin in midfield, was injured during warm-ups ahead of the Spain game.

LIVE: Spain vs Belgium World Cup thriller tied late, score and highlights

Lammens made just his third senior appearance for Belgium when entering the pitch at SoFi Stadium.

The 24-year-old made 45 appearances for Manchester United in 2025-26 after joining early in the season from Royal Antwerp.

But it was an awful cameo for Lammens, who gave up a long rebound that Mikel Merino converted in the 88th minute to give Spain a 2-1 win.

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World Cup knockout round format

The World Cup becomes a single-elimination tournament once the knockout stage begins. The 32 remaining teams have been placed into a bracket, and the field will halve itself during each ensuing round of the tournament until a winner is crowned.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Belgium goalkeeper injured, leaves World Cup quarterfinal vs. Spain

July 4: Morocco def Canada - Houston

July 5: England def Mexico - Mexico City

July 6: Spain def Portugal - Arlington

July 7: Argentina def Egypt - Atlanta