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INGLEWOOD, CA — All Thibaut Courtois could do was watch Spain celebrate from his seat on the bench.
The Belgian goalkeeper had almost singlehandedly kept his side afloat in the World Cup quarterfinal at SoFi Stadium with four saves. But at the start of the second half, he felt something in his left thigh. After a couple more saves, Courtois felt good enough to continue but once again felt that pull in his thigh muscle as soon as he tried another long kick. In the 71st minute, Belgium manager Rudi Garcia subbed the Real Madrid goalkeeper out for Senne Lammens.
"Obviously, I wanted to continue, but the coach wanted someone 100%," Courtois said. "So OK, that's his decision. I wanted to try to play maybe 5-10 more minutes to see, because in goal I was feeling good. I was making the saves, and I was not disturbed to make those saves. And I was only disturbed to kick long. So that's the decision of the coach, and that's not a problem."
Belgium remained deadlocked with Spain until the 88th minute, when Lammens couldn't hold onto the ball after stopping a long shot from Pau Cubarsí. The ball left Lammens' hands as he fell to the ground and bounced right to Mikel Merino, who fired in the winning goal for La Roja for the second consecutive game.
Spain went on to win 2-1, eliminating Belgium. And Lammens had the dubious distinction of being the first goalkeeper to come on as a substitute and make an error leading to a goal in a World Cup match since 1974.
After the final whistle, Courtois consoled his backup with a long hug.
"Much more I cannot do at the moment," Courtois said. "I know for goalkeepers, it is a (bad) feeling, and he's a great goalkeeper. And if we only get stronger from this, it's not a problem."
Despite the result, Garcia says he has no regrets about his decision.
"That’s part of elite-level sport. It’s what I was saying earlier: you have to be focused and capable of performing in these big matches," he said through FIFA interpretation. "Since the start of the World Cup, I’ve made a point of not playing anyone who was carrying an injury; I needed players who were fully fit."
Courtois, who has battled a string of muscle injuries over the last 18 months, was no different. Garcia was pleased with not just his saves, but also his long-range distribution to Romelu Lukaku and Charles De Ketelaere that helped create scoring chances for the Red Devils.
"He is a great goalkeeper," Garcia said. "One of the best in the world. He proved that again tonight. So, for him to be at less than 100% during the match was a real blow."
Garcia also used the opportunity to highlight the importance of staying healthy, especially at this stage in Courtois' career. At 34 years old, recovery is trickier than it used to be. It takes longer. The more trainings he misses due to injury, the harder it becomes to stay in top form once he's back on the pitch.
That can be detrimental, both to him and to the team that's better when he's on goal.
All that's left for Courtois now is to take the time to heal and prepare for his eighth season with Los Blancos.
"For me personally, also, obviously, you are not happy when you have to leave a quarterfinal for World Cup," Courtois said. "But yes, sometimes it's what it is. You cannot change it. So, I will rest well now."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Belgium goalie Thibaut Courtois wanted to continue playing despite injury
Continue reading...
The Belgian goalkeeper had almost singlehandedly kept his side afloat in the World Cup quarterfinal at SoFi Stadium with four saves. But at the start of the second half, he felt something in his left thigh. After a couple more saves, Courtois felt good enough to continue but once again felt that pull in his thigh muscle as soon as he tried another long kick. In the 71st minute, Belgium manager Rudi Garcia subbed the Real Madrid goalkeeper out for Senne Lammens.
"Obviously, I wanted to continue, but the coach wanted someone 100%," Courtois said. "So OK, that's his decision. I wanted to try to play maybe 5-10 more minutes to see, because in goal I was feeling good. I was making the saves, and I was not disturbed to make those saves. And I was only disturbed to kick long. So that's the decision of the coach, and that's not a problem."
Belgium remained deadlocked with Spain until the 88th minute, when Lammens couldn't hold onto the ball after stopping a long shot from Pau Cubarsí. The ball left Lammens' hands as he fell to the ground and bounced right to Mikel Merino, who fired in the winning goal for La Roja for the second consecutive game.
Spain went on to win 2-1, eliminating Belgium. And Lammens had the dubious distinction of being the first goalkeeper to come on as a substitute and make an error leading to a goal in a World Cup match since 1974.
After the final whistle, Courtois consoled his backup with a long hug.
"Much more I cannot do at the moment," Courtois said. "I know for goalkeepers, it is a (bad) feeling, and he's a great goalkeeper. And if we only get stronger from this, it's not a problem."
Despite the result, Garcia says he has no regrets about his decision.
"That’s part of elite-level sport. It’s what I was saying earlier: you have to be focused and capable of performing in these big matches," he said through FIFA interpretation. "Since the start of the World Cup, I’ve made a point of not playing anyone who was carrying an injury; I needed players who were fully fit."
Courtois, who has battled a string of muscle injuries over the last 18 months, was no different. Garcia was pleased with not just his saves, but also his long-range distribution to Romelu Lukaku and Charles De Ketelaere that helped create scoring chances for the Red Devils.
"He is a great goalkeeper," Garcia said. "One of the best in the world. He proved that again tonight. So, for him to be at less than 100% during the match was a real blow."
Garcia also used the opportunity to highlight the importance of staying healthy, especially at this stage in Courtois' career. At 34 years old, recovery is trickier than it used to be. It takes longer. The more trainings he misses due to injury, the harder it becomes to stay in top form once he's back on the pitch.
That can be detrimental, both to him and to the team that's better when he's on goal.
All that's left for Courtois now is to take the time to heal and prepare for his eighth season with Los Blancos.
"For me personally, also, obviously, you are not happy when you have to leave a quarterfinal for World Cup," Courtois said. "But yes, sometimes it's what it is. You cannot change it. So, I will rest well now."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Belgium goalie Thibaut Courtois wanted to continue playing despite injury
Continue reading...
