Lammens error ends Belgium golden generation run
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- Belgium lost 2-1 to Spain in the 2026 World Cup quarter-finals after 24-year-old Senne Lammens spilled an 88th-minute shot that Mikel Merino converted for the winner.
- The defeat likely ended the World Cup careers of Thibaut Courtois, Romelu Lukaku, Kevin de Bruyne, and Axel Witsel — the four remaining members of Belgium's golden generation who have been mainstays since the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
- Belgium's golden generation topped their group in 2014, reached the semi-finals in 2018 (winning third place), reached the quarter-finals at Euro 2016 and Euro 2020, but crashed out of the 2022 World Cup group stages.
- Manager Rudi Garcia said his veteran players 'could have one last hurrah' but injuries forced substitutions of Courtois and De Bruyne — moves he said were 'not part of the gameplan.'
- Spanish football journalist Guillem Balague countered the 'golden generation' label: 'To be a golden generation you have to win some gold,' and argued that for a nation of less than 12 million, demanding a World Cup win is 'a little bit too much.'
- Belgium's next generation offers optimism — 13 squad members are aged 25 or under, with Charles de Ketelaere finishing as joint-top scorer with 3 goals and captain Youri Tielemans scoring both goals in a last-32 comeback win over Senegal.
Why it matters: The loss closes a 12-year chapter built around four iconic players whose ceiling was third place at the 2018 World Cup. Belgium's 13 squad members aged 25 or under — including joint-top scorer Charles de Ketelaere — now inherit the task of matching a generation that never lifted a major trophy.
