Belgium ended the United States’ hopes of a deep run at its own World Cup on Monday night, beating the co-hosts 4-1 in a lopsided Round of 16 clash at Lumen Field that was overshadowed for days by a bitter dispute over the eligibility of American striker Folarin Balogun.
Charles De Ketelaere scored twice and set up a third goal for Hans Vanaken as Belgium exposed a shaky U.S. back line time and again, sending the Red Devils into the World Cup quarterfinals for the fourth time in their history in this tournament while extending their unbeaten run to 18 matches. Romelu Lukaku added a stoppage-time strike to complete the scoring and send a message that this World Cup run for Belgium is far from finished.
The match itself could barely compete with the headlines that preceded it. Balogun, the Americans’ leading scorer at this World Cup, had been shown a red card in the U.S. team’s 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina the previous week after appearing to step on the ankle of a Bosnian defender. Under World Cup disciplinary rules, that red card should have triggered an automatic one-match suspension, ruling him out of the Belgium game entirely.
Instead, in an almost unprecedented move, FIFA announced on Sunday that Balogun’s ban would be suspended for a one-year probationary period, clearing him to face Belgium after all. The decision came only after U.S. President Donald Trump personally telephoned FIFA President Gianni Infantino to request a review of the red card. Trump later confirmed the call to reporters, saying he simply felt the challenge did not merit a sending-off and that he had asked for the case to be looked at again.
The reversal infuriated Belgium and its federation, the RBFA, which said it was “astonished” by FIFA’s ruling and argued it directly contradicted the tournament’s own regulations. UEFA went further, calling the decision “unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable” and warning that the credibility of the competition was at stake. Belgium’s appeal against Balogun’s reinstatement was ultimately denied hours before kickoff, and Infantino insisted FIFA’s disciplinary bodies operate independently of any political pressure.
On the field, none of that controversy seemed to rattle Belgium, who left stars Kevin De Bruyne and Jeremy Doku on the bench and still dominated for long stretches. De Ketelaere opened the scoring after a scrambled sequence in the box, and doubled Belgium’s lead with a header just minutes after Malik Tillman had pulled the U.S. level with a deflected free kick that briefly lifted the sellout crowd of nearly 67,000. That American momentum evaporated quickly. In the 57th minute, U.S. goalkeeper Matt Freese wandered out of his box to clear a loose ball, lost possession under pressure from De Ketelaere, and watched helplessly as Vanaken rolled the ball into an empty net.
Christian Pulisic was forced off with an apparent injury shortly afterward, further denting American hopes of a comeback, and Lukaku’s late finish sealed a result that leaves all three World Cup host nations – the United States, Mexico and Canada – eliminated from the tournament they are jointly hosting.
For the United States, it was still a record-setting World Cup in some respects, with three group-stage wins and a first knockout-round victory in 24 years before Monday’s defeat. But U.S. captain Tim Ream said the team was left with more questions than answers, and that the Balogun saga had not affected preparation or performance. Belgium, meanwhile, moves on to face 2010 champion Spain in the quarterfinals, still chasing a first World Cup title in the country’s history.
