Rudi Garcia Reflects on Belgium's World Cup Journey After Quarterfinal Loss

Belgium's head coach Rudi Garcia shared his thoughts on the team's quarterfinal exit from the FIFA World Cup 2026, emphasizing pride in their performance and the lessons learned from their journey. Despite the defeat to Spain, Garcia highlighted the challenges faced, including injuries to key players. He defended his decision to substitute goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois to prevent further injury. The match saw Spain advance to the semifinals, extending their unbeaten streak. Read on for a detailed analysis of the match and Garcia's reflections.

By Narendra Chaudhary Jul 11, 2026, 04:56 IST

Garcia's Perspective on Belgium's Exit

Belgium's head coach, Rudi Garcia, expressed that there is no reason for his team to feel ashamed following their quarterfinal defeat to Spain in the FIFA World Cup 2026. He emphasized that the players should take pride in their overall performance throughout the tournament. In his post-match comments, Garcia highlighted the lessons learned from the loss and the valuable experiences gained during their World Cup campaign.

Learning from Defeat

"We can hold our heads high regarding our World Cup journey. This defeat has taught us important lessons. I believe we have nothing to be embarrassed about," Garcia stated after the match.

He also mentioned several challenges faced during the game, particularly injuries to key players that disrupted their strategy against Spain. "Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. We lost our goalkeeper and captain, and having to substitute Kevin De Bruyne was not part of our strategy. There were too many unforeseen issues," he added.

Defending Courtois' Substitution

Garcia justified his decision to replace goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois during the match, explaining that it was necessary to prevent further injury. Courtois exited the game in the 71st minute due to an apparent injury, with Senne Lammens stepping in as his replacement.

"At this level, players must be fully fit and focused. Courtois was not at his best during the match. I wanted to avoid having players who weren't 100% fit, and that was the case with Thibaut," Garcia remarked.

He praised Courtois for his overall performance but acknowledged that his injury necessitated the change. "He performed excellently, especially with long passes. We wanted to ensure his injury didn't worsen, which is why I made the substitution," he concluded.

Match Summary: Spain vs. Belgium

In the quarterfinal match, Spain edged past Belgium with goals from Fabian Ruiz and Mikel Merino, while Charles De Ketelaere scored for Belgium. Ruiz opened the scoring after Courtois deflected a shot into his path. Belgium equalized just before halftime when De Ketelaere headed in a cross from Timothy Castagne.

This goal ended Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon's impressive streak of 560 consecutive World Cup minutes without conceding, breaking the previous record of 517 minutes held by Italy's Walter Zenga from 1990.

Belgium faced a significant setback when Courtois was injured and replaced. Shortly after, Lammens conceded a goal from Merino, who capitalized on a rebound from a long-range shot.

With this victory, Spain extended their unbeaten streak to 36 matches, equaling Argentina's record from 2019 to 2022, and are now just one match away from Italy's world-record 37-match unbeaten run. Spain will face France in the semifinals as they pursue another World Cup title.