Thibaut Courtois said he was proud of Belgium's fabled "Golden Generation" on Friday as their final shot at winning a major **** le ended in a World Cup quarter-final defeat to Spain.
Courtois was forced to watch from the bench as the sun set on the World Cup careers of veteran team-mates such as Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku at the SoFi Stadium.
Real Madrid goalkeeper Courtois, 34, De Bruyne, 35, and Lukaku, 33, were part of the lavishly talented crop of Belgian players that rose to the pinnacle of FIFA's rankings for multiple years at different times over the past decade.
But a gifted player pool that also included Eden Hazard, Vincent Kompany and Marouane Fellaini came up short in major tournaments, with their best performance a third-place finish at the 2018 World Cup.
Friday's agonising 2-1 loss, which followed a blunder by substitute goalkeeper Senne Lammens after Courtois came off injured in the 71st minute, marked a familiar story for Belgium.
Courtois was forced to watch from the bench as the sun set on the World Cup careers of veteran team-mates such as Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku at the SoFi Stadium.
Real Madrid goalkeeper Courtois, 34, De Bruyne, 35, and Lukaku, 33, were part of the lavishly talented crop of Belgian players that rose to the pinnacle of FIFA's rankings for multiple years at different times over the past decade.
But a gifted player pool that also included Eden Hazard, Vincent Kompany and Marouane Fellaini came up short in major tournaments, with their best performance a third-place finish at the 2018 World Cup.
Friday's agonising 2-1 loss, which followed a blunder by substitute goalkeeper Senne Lammens after Courtois came off injured in the 71st minute, marked a familiar story for Belgium.
3 months ago
