Explained in plain English
What is a quarterfinal?
This match was a World Cup quarterfinal, meaning it was one of the four matches played to decide which teams would progress to the semifinals. In knockout tournaments like the World Cup, teams are eliminated after a loss, making every game incredibly high stakes. Losing here meant Belgium was out of the competition.
Stories that explain this
Belgium's Courtois leaves World Cup quarterfinal with injury, Spain win 2-1This explainer came from a news story
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