Lammens blunder ends Belgium's World Cup run as Spanish substitute pounces in the 88th minute

Manchester United goalkeeper Senne Lammens spilled a late shot from Spain defender Pau Cubarsi in the 88th minute, allowing Arsenal’s Mikel Merino to tap in the decisive goal as Belgium were eliminated 2-1 in the World Cup quarter-finals in Los Angeles.

The error proved all the more painful because Belgium had fought back from a goal down. Fabian Ruiz had given Spain the lead on the half-hour mark, prodding home a rebound, before Charles De Ketelaere headed an equaliser — the first goal Spain had conceded in the entire tournament — before half-time.

The match appeared to be heading for extra time when, in the 71st minute, first-choice goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was forced off injured, visibly in tears as he left the pitch. Lammens, his replacement, held firm until the closing stages before the costly spill handed Merino a simple finish and ended Belgium’s campaign in the cruellest fashion. Spain will now face France in the semi-finals.

Belgian media reacted with fury. Daily newspaper Le Soir was particularly scathing, with one expert writing: “I’m disgusted that we went home with such a goal. Senne Lammens simply cannot make a mistake like that on the second goal. He has to hold onto that ball every time. It is a massive blunder by the Manchester United goalkeeper, one that sends us packing.”

The same outlet questioned Lammens’s reliability more broadly, noting: “Even back at Royal Antwerp, I didn’t always find him reliable. He was prone to the occasional lapse in concentration. Since moving to Manchester, he’s been conceding an average of 1.5 goals per game. At this level, in a World Cup quarter-final, you cannot make a mistake like that.”

Not all Belgian coverage was so damning. Online publication Sporza acknowledged the blunder but took a more consoling tone toward the United shot-stopper, framing Belgium’s exit as a heartbreaking end to what had been a competitive campaign rather than a failure defined solely by one goalkeeper’s error.

Lammens had been thrust into an impossible situation, replacing one of the world’s best goalkeepers mid-match on the biggest stage. But at the elite level, the margin for error is precisely that thin — and Belgium paid the price.