Courtois: We cannot blindly monitor Yamal

Another key match in the 2026 World Cup quarterfinals will see Belgium travel to the SoFi Stadium to challenge the formidable Spanish team. Thibaut Courtois, who plays for Real Madrid, stated that Spain's counter-attacking ability will be strong, and urged his team not to blindly mark Yamal.

In the round of 16, Belgium defeated the host country, the United States, 4-1 after goals from De Cerrare, Hans van Akén, and Lukaku.

As for Spain, coached by De la Fuente, the "Matadors" eliminated Portugal 1-0 in the round of 16 after Merino scored.

Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois said in an interview, "This will be a very special match. I have played against Spain in friendlies before, but this is the first time I will face them in an official match, so it will be a highly anticipated contest."

“Spain played very well and controlled the tempo of the game very well. Our task was to try to score first and then try to hold onto our lead. We knew that if we wanted to win the game, we had to stay focused for 100 minutes or even longer.”

Courtois said, "Spain always insisted on possession and dominating the game, and their counter-attacks after losing possession were also very fierce. Therefore, we must look for the space left behind their defense and play our own style of football instead of following their rhythm."

In addition, Barcelona striker Yamar, who was injured during a crucial stage of the 2025/26 season, has already played the full 90 minutes in the previous match against Portugal, and Spain coach De la Fuente has said that the young striker is ready to demonstrate his even better abilities.

Courtois stated, "Yama is a star player, and we will mark him closely, even assigning two players to cover him, but he is not the only player Spain needs to be wary of. The coach has not yet revealed the specific tactical arrangements to us, but we must not blindly mark Yamar while ignoring others."

"We have already conducted targeted training on attack, and we will also watch game videos and further study how to defend against Spain."

Image source: Internet