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Madrid World Cup Spotlight: Thibaut Courtois and Belgium survive by the skin of their teeth against Senegal
Real Madrid have had an excellent showing at the 2026 FIFA World Cup thus far, with many of their players making an impression at the tournament.
Undoubtedly, the star performer has been Kylian Mbappe, with the Frenchman seemingly in unstoppable attacking form for Les Bleus.
Vinicius Jr has also been excellent for Brazil, although he could not score against Japan and will be keen to make amends against Norway.
Last night, England faced DR Congo in a tight affair that the Three Lions eventually won 2-1, and Jude Bellingham featured in it.
Senegal vs Belgium was even more dramatic. For 85 minutes, the African side completely dominated and were right on top.
However, Belgium, led by an inspired Romelu Lukaku, scored twice in three minutes to take the tie to extra time before scoring the winning goal in stoppage time.
From a Madrid perspective, Thibaut Courtois was in goal for Belgium. Here is how Los Blancos’ star duo fared on the night.
Jude Bellingham vs DR Congo

Real Madrid had two players living through very different kinds of World Cup stress, and both came out of it with their teams still alive.
Jude Bellingham started as England came from behind to beat DR Congo 2-1. This was not the explosive follow-up to his excellent display against Panama.
He was booked in the first half as England struggled to impose themselves after Brian Cipenga’s seventh-minute opener.
Bellingham kept arriving in dangerous areas and had three efforts saved. He was involved and aggressive, but the final product was lacking.
Bellingham did not disappear when England were under pressure. He kept asking questions, kept making runs and helped keep the match tilted towards DR Congo’s goal before Harry Kane eventually turned it around.
If there was not much to take away from Bellingham’s game, it definitely was not for a lack of trying, and that is a positive.
This game showed that England still rely heavily on individual moments. Kane scored twice and Anthony Gordon assisted both goals.
The important part is that Bellingham stays alive to fight another day at the competition.
Thibaut Courtois vs Senegal
Thibaut Courtois survived an even wilder night as Belgium recovered from 2-0 down to defeat Senegal 3-2 after extra time.

It was a very difficult night, emotionally, for Madrid’s shot-stopper. Senegal actually won the xG battle 3.54 to 1.80.
That alone shows how much Belgium had to survive before their late comeback.
Courtois still made three saves and Belgium’s back line needed 28 clearances to get through the Senegal storm.
This was not a clean, dominant goalkeeper performance. The veteran shot-stopper almost made a huge mistake early in the first half.
He failed to deal with a cross into the box, only to divert it into the path of Ismail Sarr, who bundled it on to the post.
Courtois also could not come up with his usual heroics to stop either goal for his country. It is fair to say that Belgium survived in this tournament by the skin of their teeth.
Mentally, the Madrid star would have been preparing for the game to go into a penalty shootout, which would have given him a chance to become a star for his nation.
However, Belgium were handed a controversial late penalty, which Youri Tielemans bundled home to take them to the next round and set up a date with the USA.
Matches
Diomande, Bellingham start in a 4-2-3-1: How Real Madrid can line up against Inter Milan
Following their first loss of the season against Real Betis, Real Madrid face a tough test tonight as they take on Inter Milan at the Santiago Bernabeu in their UEFA Champions League opener.
The Nerazzurri are first of a tricky set of opponents for the Merengues in the league phase of Europe’s premier competition and will pose a monumental challenge to Jose Mourinho and his men.
After all, the Serie A champions have won each of their three matches this season, with their latest game ending in a 3-2 comeback win over Napoli.
The fact that Real Madrid go into the game with some notable absences makes the task even harder, given as Mourinho will be unable to call upon Arda Guler, Bernardo Silva, and Eduardo Camavinga through suspensions.
Meanwhile, Raul Asencio, Eder Militao, and Rodrygo remain unavailable through injuries, whereas Ferland Mendy has not been registered in the Champions League this season.
There is some positive news, though, with Endrick, Aurelien Tchouameni, and Thiago Pitarch recovering from their physical issues, which could lead them to making their comeback tonight, but not as starters.
With some major decisions to be made with regard to his personnel, here is how Mourinho could set out his Real Madrid lineup tonight at the Bernabeu.
Defence
Thibaut Courtois remains the undisputed starter in goal for Real Madrid and will be key to them getting off the mark in the Champions League this season.
As for the defence, Ibrahima Konate is seemingly ahead of Antonio Rudiger in the centre-back position and start again tonight. He will partner with Dean Huijsen, who has been a standout performer under Mourinho.

On the right side of the defence, Denzel Dumfries should get the nod against his former club, with Trent Alexander-Arnold likely being held back as a possible option in midfield.
World Cup winner Marc Cucurella will continue on the left, ahead of Alvaro Carreras, despite coming off with a minor physical concern against Betis.
Midfield
The midfield department is where things get tricky for Mourinho and Real Madrid, given that Bernardo Silva, Eduardo Camavinga, and Arda Guler are unavailable and Aurelien Tchouameni is not ready to start matches.
Federico Valverde is an obvious starter in one of the two positions, and as for his partner, Mourinho has options like using Trent in midfield or turning to youngster Jorge Cestero.
But the likeliest route that the Portuguese tactician will take is to pull Jude Bellingham into a deeper position for tonight’s game, despite the England superstar’s effectiveness as a No. 10 in the first few matches.

With Bellingham moving into the double pivot and Guler unavailable, it should pave the way for Brahim Diaz to slot in as the central attacking midfielder for Los Blancos.
Attack
This could finally turn out to be the night that Real Madrid’s most expensive signing of the summer, Yan Diomande, makes his first start for the club.
The Ivorian international has so far only featured off the bench, with Mourinho preferring Guler on the right. But with the Turkish star suspended and Brahim operating centrally, the door is open for Diomande to start.
Meanwhile, Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr. will retain their respective places in the Real Madrid attacking line and hope to make a mark after failing to do so at the weekend.

