Tielemans laments injury as Belgium's quarter‑final hopes fade

Youri Tielemans expressed frustration after missing the World Cup quarter‑final against Spain due to a warm‑up injury, while also voicing pride in his teammates. He noted that “veel spelers” were tired or burnt out, as Belgium fell 2‑1 and exited the WK. Rudi Garcia had prepared his side to challenge the favourites, but the warm‑up setback forced Tielemans to withdraw just before kickoff. The Belgian midfield entered the match lacking the freshness the coach had hoped for. Spain entered the game confident after a strong group‑stage performance. Fabian Ruiz opened the scoring for Spain, exploiting a loose second ball. Charles De Ketelaere equalised for Belgium, becoming the first player to net for the Rode Duivels in this tournament. Beide Spaanse goals came from poorly dealt‑with second balls, highlighting a lack of freshness on the Belgian side.

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Mikel Merino struck the winner in the 88th minute after being introduced only two minutes earlier, sealing a 2‑1 defeat for La Roja's opponents. The late goal confirmed the elimination of the Rode Duivels, despite earlier resilience. Courtois later said he wishes to continue with the national team, recalling the earlier triumph over Senegal.

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Tielemans reflected, “Helaas, als je lichaam stop zegt, kan je niet forceren… veel spelers moe of opgebrand waren.” He added, “Ik ben heel trots op de ploeg, iedereen heeft alles gegeven.” NIEUW Ontvang meldingen bij belangrijk nieuws! Schrijf je HIER in! Volg Voetbalkrant nu ook via Google!