Published: 10:22 AM, 08 July 2026
Belgium thrash USA to end World Cup dream and set up Spain showdown
Romelu Lukaku #9 of Belgium celebrates scoring his team's fourth goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 match against USA at Seattle Stadium. -AFP
Fired-up Belgium brought the United States' World Cup party to a shuddering halt on Monday, thrashing the tournament co-hosts 4-1 to set up a quarter-final showdown with Spain.
Charles De Ketelaere scored twice, Hans Vanaken punished a goalkeeping howler, and substitute Romelu Lukaku added a fourth to settle a last-16 clash that had been overshadowed by the pre-match uproar surrounding US striker Folarin Balogun.
Balogun, named in US coach Mauricio Pochettino's starting line-up after FIFA suspended a one-game ban following lobbying by US President Donald Trump, was largely anonymous throughout Monday's knockout tie at Seattle's Lumen Field.
Instead, a rampant Belgium ruthlessly dismantled the USA's hopes of reaching a first World Cup quarter-final in 24 years, in a bitterly disappointing end to a campaign that had captivated the host nation.
Belgium captain Youri Tielemans said the furore over Balogun had motivated his team-mates.
"Let's be honest: we held a meeting when we heard the news," Tielemans said.
"We told ourselves we needed to do our talking on the pitch. That's what we did today. I'm very proud of the team," the Aston Villa midfielder told Belgium's RTBF broadcaster.
US coach Pochettino said his team had not turned up on the day.
"Today we were not the same team that we have been during the tournament," Pochettino said. "It was a very bad day -- it wasn't our day in a collective and individual way."
De Ketelaere fired Belgium ahead after nine minutes, and although Malik Tillman's deflected free-kick leveled it in the 31st-minute, the US fightback was shortlived.
De Ketelaere headed Belgium back in front in the 33rd minute, and Vanaken made it 3-1 in the 57th minute after a dreadful blunder by US goalkeeper Matt Freese, who was dispossessed after charging out of his penalty area to clear.
Veteran striker Lukaku piled on the misery with a fourth in stoppage time.
The defeat capped a tumultuous 24 hours for the World Cup co-hosts, who were lifted by FIFA's shock reprieve of Balogun on Sunday -- a decision which brought widespread condemnation across the football world.
Belgium football chiefs had challenged Balogun's eligibility for the game earlier on Monday but saw their appeal dismissed out of hand by FIFA.
"There was a sense of injustice within the squad," Belgium's Nicolas Raskin said. "We were determined to respond on the field."
The Belgians advance to a quarter-final meeting with Spain in Los Angeles on Friday.
The Spaniards booked their place in that game with a 1-0 victory over Portugal in the final World Cup match of Cristiano Ronaldo's career.
Spanish substitute Mikel Merino coolly slotted the winner in the first minute of stoppage time to seal victory in a dour contest between the Iberian football rivals at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
The defeat marked a sad farewell to the World Cup for Portugal captain Ronaldo, the 41-year-old superstar playing in his sixth edition of the tournament.
Former Manchester United and Real Madrid star Ronaldo, who has struggled to reproduce his best form during a challenging campaign in the United States, had long dreamed of adding a World Cup winners medal to his collection of honours amassed over a career that has straddled three decades.
>>AFP
