You could argue Belgium knew this was coming. You could argue they didn’t have a right to expect much more. But the way it happened? That’s the part that stings.
Senne Lammens got his World Cup debut on Tuesday. He’ll try to forget it for the rest of his life.
The Manchester United goalkeeper was thrown into the fire after Thibaut Courtois went down with an injury in the 70th minute. And for about 15 minutes, he held up fine. Spain couldn’t crack him. They couldn’t find a clean look. It felt like Belgium might drag this thing to extra time and take their chances.
Then Pau Cubarsi tried a shot from distance.
Cubarsi’s attempt wasn’t a rocket. It wasn’t headed for the top corner. It was the kind of shot a goalkeeper catches 99 times out of 100. Lammens got his hands on it. He just didn’t keep hold of it. The ball squirted loose, and there was Mikel Merino, a substitute himself, pouncing on the rebound to slot it home.
That was it. Spain wins 2-1. Merino does what Merino does — show up in big moments, score big goals. He’s made a career out of it for club and country. But this one was as much about Lammens as it was about the finish.
The irony? Courtois had his own spill earlier. In the 28th minute, he couldn’t hang onto a Dani Olmo shot, and Fabian Ruiz cleaned up the rebound for Spain’s first goal. Courtois is the best in the world, and even he had a moment. But Lammens’ mistake came at a worse time — later in the game, higher stakes, with the weight of a whole country hanging on his next save.
Belgium had pulled level about 10 minutes after Ruiz’s goal, with Charles De Ketelaere heading in an equalizer. It was the first goal Spain had allowed all tournament. For a while, Belgium looked like they might actually hold on.
They had a halfhearted penalty shout in the second half when the ball hit Rodri’s arm in the box. It wasn’t called. Probably the right call. But you could understand the frustration.
Courtois had been nursing something during a hydration break earlier in the second half. He tried to play through it. He couldn’t. Lammens, who was a quiet but steady presence in goal for United last season, was suddenly on the biggest stage with no warning.
He didn’t get tested much at first. Spain struggled to create real chances. They were patient, moving the ball around, waiting for an opening. And eventually Lammens gave them one.
Belgium’s so-called golden generation is pretty much done now. Kevin De Bruyne is 35. Courtois is 34. This was probably his last World Cup. The torch is supposed to pass to Lammens, the natural successor. But he’s got to learn from this. He can’t let one bad moment define him, even if it was a bad moment at the worst possible time.
Spain moves on to face France in the semifinals. If they have Merino coming off the bench with that kind of timing, they’re going to be a problem for anyone.
For Belgium, the what-ifs start now. And they all start with one shot Lammens should have held.
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