INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Belgium midfielder Youri Tielemans was scratched Friday from the starting lineup in the World Cup quarterfinals against Spain after getting injured during pregame warmups.
Hans Vanaken replaced Tielemans in the starting lineup in another blow to the Red Devils' depth.
Tielemans is Belgium's captain and a key component of the team's efforts on offense and defense. The Aston Villa midfielder scored two goals in Belgium's 3-2 comeback victory over Senegal in the round of 32.
Vanaken came on as a substitute and scored a goal in Belgium's 4-1 thrashing of the U.S. on Monday. He replaced Amadou Onana, who has been ruled out for the rest of the World Cup with a torn knee ligament.
Belgium has also played the World Cup without defender Zeno Debast, who has a leg injury and has been held out of action by his club, Sporting Lisbon.
Kevin De Bruyne returned to Belgium's lineup against Spain after sitting out of the win over the Americans to rest.
See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here
Spanish and Belgian flags are seen during the teams presentation before the World Cup quarterfinal soccer match between Spain and Belgium in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, Friday, July 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Marcio Sanchez)
A fan cheers during warmups before the World Cup quarterfinal soccer match between Spain and Belgium in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, Friday, July 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Belgium's Youri Tielemans (8) reacts after Belgium won a World Cup round of 16 soccer match against the United States in Seattle, Monday, July 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Military amputees and war veterans in Ukraine marked Independence Day on Monday by finishing a grueling endurance race that took them more than 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) around the country.
At a lake outside the capital, Kyiv, athletes removed their prosthetics and pulled on wetsuits to complete on the closing day of the weeklong event, with some needing help to get into the water.
Known as Iron Week, the competition is led by three-time Olympic triathlete Danylo Sapunov, who supports veterans as the country endures more than four years of war since Russia’s full-scale invasion.
“This is not a competition. There is no winner, and it does not matter who swims faster,” Sapunov said as athletes gathered at the lake. “The important thing is to participate and unite as one.”
Ukraine is marking the anniversary of its 1991 declaration of independence from the Soviet Union as European leaders traveled to Kyiv to join President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for official celebrations.
The amputee athletes completed seven consecutive days of competition — swimming, cycling and distance running — while traveling around Ukraine, including through war-torn cities in the east.
Yevhenii Lakhnenko, a 46-year-old army serviceman who had his right arm and left leg amputated after being wounded last October, said swimming had been central to his recovery.
“I am finishing my recovery and will get back in the ranks,” he said. “I do not think there is another country in the world as strong as Ukraine. Only our people are capable of doing what we are doing.”
Maksym Yuzviak, 35, a strike-drone operator who lost both legs in January 2025, said Ukraine’s independence rested on the actions of ordinary people.
“Independence is about the people,” he said. “People who are ready to take responsibility and who, as they say, are capable of taking action.”
Ukrainian war veteran Maksym Yuzviak, center, is greet by sports celebrity Danylo Sapunov during an athletic event to encourage people and injured soldiers to take part in sports at a lake on the outskirts of Kyiv, Monday, Aug. 24, 2026, during the 35th anniversary of Ukraine's Independence Day. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco) Corrects spelling of Maksym Yuzviak, not Maxim Yuzvyak
A man holds the prosthetic leg of a Ukrainian war veteran as Maksym Yuzviak, left, also a veteran, sits on a chair during a sporting event to encourage people and injured soldiers to take part in sports at a lake on the outskirts of Kyiv, Monday, Aug. 24, 2026, during the 35th anniversary of Ukraine's Independence Day. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco) Corrects spelling of Maksym Yuzviak, not Maxim Yuzvyak
Ukrainian war veteran Yevhenii Lakhnenko puts on his goggles during a sporting event to encourage people and injured soldiers to do sports in a lake at on the outskirts of Kyiv, Monday, Aug. 24, 2026, during the 35th anniversary of Ukraine's Independence Day. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco) Corrects spelling of first name to Yevhenii, not Evheny
Ukrainian war veteran Oleksii Kozak is helped to put on his goggles during a sporting event to encourage people and injured soldiers to take part in sports at a lake on the outskirts of Kyiv, Monday, Aug. 24, 2026, during the 35th anniversary of Ukraine's Independence Day. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
Ukrainian war veteran Maxim Yuzvyak, left, is greet by sport celebrity Danylo Sapunov during a sporting event to encourage people and injured soldiers to take part in sports at a lake on the outskirts of Kyiv, Monday, Aug. 24, 2026, during the 35th anniversary of Ukraine's Independence Day. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
A friend holds the prosthetic leg of a Ukrainian war veteran during a sporting event to encourage people and injured soldiers to take part in sports at a lake on the outskirts of Kyiv, Monday, Aug. 24, 2026, during the 35th anniversary of Ukraine's Independence Day. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
A man holds the prosthetic leg of a Ukrainian war veteran as Maxim Yuzvyak, left, also a veteran, sits on a chair during a sporting event to encourage people and injured soldiers to take part in sports at a lake on the outskirts of Kyiv, Monday, Aug. 24, 2026, during the 35th anniversary of Ukraine's Independence Day. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
Ukrainian war veteran Evheny Lakhnenko puts on his goggles during a sporting event to encourage people and injured soldiers to do sports in a lake at on the outskirts of Kyiv, Monday, Aug. 24, 2026, during the 35th anniversary of Ukraine's Independence Day. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
