Zlatan Ibrahimovic blasts 'overrated' Senne Lammens and blames decision to bring on Man Utd goalkeeper for Belgium's World Cup exit against Spain

Belgium saw their World Cup dreams shattered after suffering a tragic 2-1 defeat against Spain in a tightly contested quarter-final clash in Los Angeles. Spanish substitute Mikel Merino netted the winning goal in the 88th minute, capitalising on a fatal error by Belgium’s backup goalkeeper Lammens, who failed to hold a long-range strike from Pau Cubarsi after replacing the injured Courtois earlier in the half. The painful exit sparked scathing criticism from Swedish legend Ibrahimovic, who placed the blame squarely on the tactical decisions made by Garcia.

Serving as an expert pundit for the television network Fox Sports throughout the tournament, Ibrahimovic openly condemned Garcia’s radical decision to introduce 24-year-old Lammens in place of Courtois with 19 minutes remaining.

The former AC Milan forward was left utterly bewildered as to why the Red Devils' coaching staff favoured the United shot-stopper over Penders, who remained rooted to the bench throughout the World Cup after spending the season on loan at Strasbourg. Ibrahimovic expressed his dissatisfaction with the manager's decision after the match: "I hold the national coach responsible for this defeat. It's a decision that cost Belgium the match."

He also questioned the basis of Garcia's player selection: "Why replace Courtois with Senne Lammens from Manchester United, while Mike Penders remains on the bench? Is it because Lammens plays for Manchester United and Penders for Strasbourg? That's not how you select a goalkeeper for a national team. Especially when you see what happens next."

The blunder committed by Lammens makes him the first substitute goalkeeper to make an error leading to a goal in a World Cup match since Dimbi Tubilandu with DR Congo against Yugoslavia in 1974. Ibrahimovic pulled no punches in labelling Lammens' display far below international standards, maintaining that Penders possesses vastly superior qualities.

The iconic former Sweden captain was steadfast in his assessment: "Lammens isn't a good goalkeeper at this level. He's overrated. Penders is much better, and everyone can see it."

He then concluded his critique with a damning assessment of the Belgian coaching setup, emphasising that they were "managing the situation so badly. It's shameful. Shame on you, national team coach and goalkeeping coach."

The dramatic victory sees Spain march into the semi-finals to face France in a blockbuster clash for a place in the showpiece final, scheduled to take place in Dallas on Tuesday. While the European champions prepare for a stern test against Les Bleus, the Belgian squad heads home in profound disappointment amidst immense uncertainty surrounding Garcia's future.

For Lammens, he now faces a daunting task to rebuild his psychological sharpness before linking up with the United first-team squad.