Courtois injured and shed tears, Belgium's two goalkeepers bid farewell to the World Cup.

Belgium lost 1-2 to Spain in Friday's World Cup quarter-final, ending their run in the quarterfinals. Even more moving than the defeat itself were the tears shed by Belgium's two goalkeepers on the field.

Early in the second half, 34-year-old first-choice goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois felt a sharp pain in his leg muscle while delivering a long pass. Although he subsequently made several saves and remained confident that he could continue, manager Rudi Garcia, out of caution, substituted him in the 71st minute.

Unable to continue playing for his country, Courtois shed tears of sorrow on the bench. However, the young goalkeeper who replaced him, Sena Lamenz, faced a cruel moment in his career.

In the 86th minute of the match, Lamenz failed to save a low shot from Spanish player Pau Cubas, and substitute Mikel Merino seized the opportunity to score the winning goal.

After the match, Courtois, who witnessed this scene, put aside his own sadness and went over to give the young Lamenz a big hug. When speaking to reporters, Courtois said, "I know this feels extremely bad for a goalkeeper. But he is a great goalkeeper, and he will only become stronger after this setback."

In the post-match press conference, the coach expressed deep regret over Courtois' unexpected injury. He stated frankly that losing their key goalkeeper midway through such a high-intensity, do-or-die match was a heavy blow to the entire team. Facing a strong team like Spain, Belgium, missing their full strength, ultimately failed to advance.

Image source: Internet