Belgian media react to Senne Lammens’ World Cup howler | OneFootball

Manchester United goalkeeper Senne Lammens made his World Cup debut against Spain in the quarter-final at the Los Angeles Stadium on Friday, 11 July. Unfortunately, things did not go according to plan for the Belgian.

The Premier League giants were looking for a new goalkeeper last summer when they decided to put their trust in the relatively unproven Lammens. That decision has turned out to be a masterstroke, with the 24 year old making the position his own and also winning the Premier League Signing of the Season award.

Senne Lammens Stats: 2025/26 Season

Source: Transfermarkt.

Lammens’ performances saw him earn a place in Rudi Garcia’s squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where he served as Thibaut Courtois’ understudy. After watching the first five games from the bench, the United star was thrown into action against Spain following an on-field injury to the Real Madrid custodian in the 71st minute.

Unfortunately, Lammens made a costly error late in the game, with the score tied at 1-1. He spilled Pau Cubarsi’s shot from distance, which allowed Mikel Merino to score from the rebound and put Spain into the semi-finals.

The United goalkeeper was understandably in tears at the end of the game and had to be consoled by Courtois, who tipped him to bounce back. The Belgian media, however, were not so forgiving.

Lammens blamed for Belgium’s World Cup exit

Belgian outlet Le Soir directly blamed Lammens for his nation’s exit from the World Cup, stating: “Senne Lammens simply cannot make a mistake like that on the second goal. He has to hold onto that ball every time. It is a massive blunder by the Manchester United goalkeeper, one that sends us packing. I’m gutted to go home because of a goal like that. I would have preferred a 3–0 thrashing. Lammens cost us the match.”

“Without his error, we’d still be in the game, and who knows what might have happened in extra time? At this level, in a World Cup quarter-final, you cannot make a mistake like that. The squad will rally around him, saying, ‘We win together, we lose together.’ But there is no excuse for what happened.”

The report went on to insist that Lammens was also prone to the occasional lapse of concentration during his time with Royal Antwerp as well. It continued: “Even back at Royal Antwerp, I didn’t always find him reliable. He was prone to the occasional lapse in concentration.”

“Since moving to Manchester, he’s been conceding an average of 1.5 goals per game. If Courtois decides to retire from international football, Lammens is the number one candidate to take over. He’s going to have to cut out these kinds of errors.”

Sporza offer support to United man

Another Belgian outlet, Sporza, was supportive of Lammens, despite acknowledging his mistake. The report stated: “Players, family members and fans in LA were inconsolable after that painful 2-1 defeat to Spain, following a blunder by Senne Lammens. Painful for that boy. He will have a long and beautiful career, but I fear that Lammens will carry this with him for a while.”

“[It was] a moment that would completely tear the Belgian fighting heart apart. A ‘cold’ Lammens completely misjudged a long-range shot from Pau Cubarsi.”

“Mikel Merino pushed the rebound in. Poor, poor, poor Lammens, you truly wouldn’t wish this on anyone with the eyes of the world fixed on you.”

Final Thoughts

Lammens’ World Cup blunder is unlikely to diminish the support he enjoys from United fans, especially after solving a major problem for the Red Devils last season. The Premier League giants will now hope that the Belgian comes out stronger from the experience and continues his golden run at Old Trafford next season.

Feature image Carl Recine via Getty Images

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