De Bruyne "Beyond Proud" as Belgium Exit World Cup to Spain

FIFA World Cup 2026: De Bruyne "beyond proud" of team despite Belgium's quarter-final loss to Spain

California, July 11

Spain defeated the Belgian Red Devils in a quarter-final clash to book a semi-final clash against France. Fabian Ruiz and substitute Mikel Merino scored for Spain, while Charles De Ketelaere netted Belgium's lone goal.

After the loss, in a post on Instagram, Kevin De Bruyne said Belgium's World Cup campaign ended with heads held high, expressing pride in the team and the country despite their quarter-final defeat.

He said, "Our World Cup ends here. Heads held high. Beyond proud of this team and our country!"

Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, on the other hand, expressed disappointment over Belgium's elimination and his injury. However, he said he was proud of the team's World Cup campaign and thanked fans for their support.

"Saddened by the elimination, and especially by not being able to help the team at the end. Injuries are unfortunate, but the elimination hurts me much more. Even so, I am proud of the team and the World Cup campaign we've had. Thank you all for your support over these past few weeks," he said in an Instagram post.

Notably, Courtois was forced to leave the field due to an injury in the second half of Belgium's quarter-final clash against Spain, with Senne Lammens replacing him in the 71st minute. The change proved costly as Lammens failed to hold Pau Cubarsi's long-range strike shortly after coming on, allowing Mikel Merino to score from the rebound and seal a 2-1 win for Spain.

The victory extended Spain's unbeaten run to 36 matches, equalling Argentina's streak and leaving La Roja one game shy of Italy's world-record 37-match unbeaten run.

— ANI