Thibaut Courtois had a perfect night with Belgium in Rijeka, where the Red Devils defeated Croatia in a preparatory friendly towards the 2026 World Cup. The Real Madrid goalkeeper kept the goal inviolable and even had a curious moment with Luka Modric, his former teammate in Madrid.
The Belgian victory came with goals from Youri Tielemans and substitute Romelu Lukaku, against Croatia, 11th in the FIFA rankings. Belgium, ninth in the pecking order, counted on several decisive interventions from Courtois (34 years old), including an important save from Modric's shot close to half-time.
"It was especially funny because it was Luka. He wasn't very happy on the bench," Courtois said, laughing, to Sporza. "After the game he looked at me and raised his middle finger. It was funny."
This was Courtois' first game for the national team since November last year, following an injury absence. "It feels good to be back. Getting into the game right away and helping the team is great. It's always good to keep the goal clean. I hope to achieve that in the World Cup too", said the Belgian international, who has 108 caps.
Belgium kicks off their World Cup campaign on June 15, against Egypt.