INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Quarterfinals often are remembered for breathtaking goals.
Spain and Belgium might be remembered for the saves.
Friday night’s FIFA World Cup showdown at SoFi Stadium features two of the finest goalkeepers of their generation — Spain’s Unai Simón and Belgium’s Thibaut Courtois — in a matchup that could prove every bit as decisive as the battles between Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku at the other end of the field.
Spain’s run through the tournament has been built on control.
Possession suffocates opponents, and nobody is better at it than the Spaniards.
Simón quietly has become the foundation beneath it all.
Against Portugal in the Round of 16, he extended his World Cup clean-sheet streak to five consecutive matches, making the saves he needed while calmly recycling possession with 29 completed passes and repeatedly breaking pressure with pinpoint distribution.
His brilliance is almost understated. Spain manager Luis de la Fuente repeatedly has argued that Simón, along with David Raya and Joan García, belongs among the world’s elite, calling the trio “three of the five best goalkeepers in the world.”
“A great team is first built around a great goalkeeper,” De la Fuente said Thursday. “Having a great goalkeeper gives you security and peace of mind. They offer everything we demand from a goalkeeper in both the defensive and attacking phases.”
If Spain’s three goalkeepers are in the top five, then Belgium’s goalkeeper might be No. 1.
Courtois still is considered to be the standard by which every goalkeeper is measured.
The Real Madrid star returned to the national team after missing Euro 2024 and has reminded everyone why he remains the game’s ultimate safety net. Tall and towering yet remarkably agile, he erases mistakes with impossible reflexes, dominates crosses and forces strikers to rethink shots they normally bury.
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Fresh off Belgium’s convincing 4-1 victory over the United States, Courtois admitted advancing through the hostile atmosphere strengthened the squad’s belief.
“We gained a lot of confidence because we knew it was going to be a hard game against America,” Courtois said after training Wednesday in Carson. “They’re obviously the home team with a full stadium behind them, so it’s nice to perform in a good way defensively, offensively and just play our game.”
For all the attacking brilliance that’s expected under the lights, this quarterfinal ultimately could become a goalkeeping clinic: one amazing fingertip save; one perfectly timed charge off the line; or even the ultimate showdown if the match reaches a penalty shootout where one correctly guessed penalty by either mean could be the difference between flying home to Europe and flying to Dallas for the semifinal against France.
