Courtois fires back as Belgium head into Spain quarterfinal

Spain waiting Friday, underdogs with a pulse

Your quarterfinal is set. Belgium vs Spain, Friday at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles (1). Thibaut Courtois knows exactly how the world sees it.

"Spain is a great team. I think they're one of the favourites to win it. So obviously we start as underdogs against them," Courtois said (3). Then he added the line that matters: "But in football, everything is possible. I believe that we can win, with all respect. But obviously, they are the favourite" (3).

Courtois: they got us wrong

Courtois had more to say. After the 4–1 dismantling of the USA, he fired back at the pre-tournament doubters. "Les gens se sont trompés à notre sujet", people were wrong about us (2). No apology, no softening. The keeper is in full defiance mode.

And he is not planning to walk away. Asked about his international future, Courtois hinted he will stick around: "If we would lose, I will not say it is my last match" (6).

Hazard sees himself in Yamal

Eden Hazard has been watching Lamine Yamal and it is personal. "Lamine Yamal does me denken aan mijn jonge zelf", Yamal reminds him of his younger self (4). Spain's 18-year-old winger is the danger man, and Hazard knows the type.

The Fernandez-Pardo heist

Matias Fernandez-Pardo will line up against Spain on Friday, but it nearly did not happen. The winger had previously chosen Spain before Belgium swooped in. A mix of what sources call "chantage" or simple miscommunication let Belgium snatch him away, with Vincent Mannaert and Rudi Garcia driving the recruitment (5). Now he faces the nation he left behind, in a World Cup quarterfinal.

Fan-reaktioner

The mood online is buzzing with the idea that this tournament could crown a new name. One fan on r/worldcup posted that a final without Argentina, Spain, or France, maybe featuring Belgium, Norway, Morocco, or England, "would be so refreshing and fun" (link). Meanwhile, US fans are still processing the physical damage from that round-of-16 clash: Christian Pulisic reportedly suffered a bone bruise and microfracture in the loss to Belgium, sidelined for several weeks (link).