Belgium's Courtois slams Garcia after his World Cup defeat: "He wanted to replace me..."

Belgium is in a state of shock following their 2026 World Cup quarterfinal defeat to Spain. Immediately after the match, after the Red Furies won 2-1 and advanced to the semifinals, Thibaut Courtois attacked Rudi Garcia, who replaced him during the second half due to a physical problem. The Real Madrid goalkeeper, however, refused to leave the pitch. 

Senne Lammens, the man responsible for the blunder that handed the match to De la Fuente's team, came on in his place. The Belgium coach's decision inevitably changed the game and was hard to swallow for Courtois: "At the hydration break, I told the coach I wanted to continue, even if I couldn't run the 100 meters," Real Madrid's number 1 said post-match. "But he replied that if I wasn't 100%, he'd substitute me. I wanted to continue for at least another five minutes, see how it went. In the end, though, it's up to him to decide." 

Courtois, after the disappointment of the World Cup, could leave the national team: "I'd like to take a break, the Nations League is not a major competition," he explained, "we'll see if the Federation accepts, otherwise this could have been my last match for Belgium." 

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(Adnkronos)