Belgium defender Anthony Vanden Borre will miss the rest of the World Cup with a minor fracture in his left lower leg.
Vanden Borre, who made his first appearance at the World Cup against South Korea in Belgium's final group stage game, was assisted off the field in the closing minutes after suffering the injury.
"Crack in the calf bone for Vanden Borre," Belgium coach Marc Wilmots said on Twitter on Friday. "Anthony won't be able to play anymore at this WC but will stay with the group."
Fissure du péroné pour @AvdBorre. Anthony ne jouera plus lors de ce Mondial, mais restera avec notre équipe. #WorldCup2014 #tousensemble
- Marc Wilmots (@WilmotsMarc) June 27, 2014
Eden Hazard offered encouraging words to his injured teammates, saying "strength and courage. We are together."
Force et courage a @AvdBorre on est ensemble mon sheguey✌️
- Eden hazard (@hazardeden10) June 27, 2014
Although not a first-choice right-back, Vanden Borre had been expected to provide crucial depth at the back, especially with three other Belgium defenders -- Laurent Ciman, Vincent Kompany and Thomas Vermaelen -- all struggling to recover from lingering injuries.
Wilmots said on Friday that he hopes those three will recover in time to feature against the United States in the round of 16 clash on Tuesday.
Wim Van Walle contributed to this report.