US eliminated from World Cup after defeat to Belgium
The US became the third and final co-host to crash out of the World Cup after being thrashed 4-1 by an impressive Belgium side, reports BritPanorama.
American fans packed out Seattle Field, brimming with confidence after a string of encouraging performances during the tournament. However, the Red Devils silenced the home crowd after just 10 minutes when Atalanta talisman Charles De Ketelaere turned home Nicolas Raskin’s cross from close range.
The hosts levelled on 31 minutes when former Rangers midfielder Malik Tillman’s free-kick deflected off Hans Vanaken, wrong-footing Thibaut Courtois before nestling in the back of the net. The celebrations were short-lived, however, as Belgium restored their lead just two minutes later. De Ketelaere grabbed his second of the night, nodding home a pinpoint cross from Leandro Trossard.
Disaster struck early in the second half when goalkeeper Matt Freese was caught in no man’s land after being dispossessed by De Ketelaere, who squared the ball to Vanaken to slot into an empty net from outside the area. Veteran striker Romelu Lukaku then came off the bench to cap a phenomenal Belgian performance, calmly slotting home a fourth in the third minute of stoppage time.
Belgium will now travel to Los Angeles to face Spain in the quarter-finals. The result was heartbreaking for Mauricio Pochettino’s side, who had been hoping to reach the last eight for the first time in almost two decades. However, the build-up to the match had been overshadowed by FIFA’s controversial decision to suspend US striker Folarin Balogun’s automatic one-match ban.
The 25-year-old forward was shown a straight red card for his challenge on Bosnia and Herzegovina defender Tarik Muharemovic during the Americans’ 2-0 last-32 victory. Donald Trump later confirmed he had personally spoken to FIFA president Giovanni Infantino to raise the issue after the suspension would have ruled Balogun out of the last-16 clash.
FIFA subsequently announced the automatic one-match ban would be deferred for 12 months, citing regulations permitting such deferrals but offering no further explanation. US President Trump stated, “Yes, I asked for a review by FIFA. I spoke to a man who is highly respected… I’m good at this stuff. I didn’t think it was a foul.”
After the full-time whistle in Seattle, Belgium’s official social media account appeared to take a swipe at the decision, posting an image of Lukaku celebrating his goal alongside the caption: “Overturn this.” With all three host nations now eliminated from their own tournament, the wait for a host country to lift the World Cup in the 21st century goes on. France were the last nation to achieve the feat in 1998, beating Brazil 3-0 in the final in Paris to lift the trophy.
