Shafaqna Pakistan: Belgium knocked hosts the United States out of the FIFA World Cup on Monday with a convincing 4-1 victory, as Charles De Ketelaere scored twice in a match overshadowed by controversy surrounding Folarin Balogun’s suspension.
The win sends Belgium into the quarter-finals, where they will face Spain, while the United States joined fellow co-hosts Canada and Mexico in exiting the tournament at the round-of-16 stage after a disappointing display.
Pre-match attention centred on Balogun’s inclusion after US President Donald Trump urged FIFA to review the striker’s one-match suspension following his red card, a request the governing body controversially granted.
Belgium also made notable changes, with Kevin De Bruyne and Jeremy Doku starting on the bench. However, coach Rudi Garcia’s tactical decisions paid off, as De Ketelaere struck early to silence the home crowd in Seattle and set Belgium on course for a dominant victory.
Malik Tillman grabbed one back from a free kick, but De Ketelaere swiftly restored Belgium’s lead. A catastrophic piece of goalkeeping by Matt Freese and a late Romelu Lukaku goal left the Americans dead and buried.
FIFA’s move to suspend Balogun’s ban after he was sent off in the previous round against Bosnia and Herzegovina has been slammed by football fans, pundits and players around the world, but there were no such misgivings among the Seattle crowd.
A colossal roar greeted the stadium announcement of Balogun’s name in the starting XI, vastly dwarfing the cheers even for US talisman Christian Pulisic.
The “USA” thunderclap then echoed around the stadium, utterly drowning out a small corner of chanting Belgium fans in the opening minutes.
But the American party was swiftly silenced. The majority of 67,000 fans fell silent in the ninth minute as De Ketelaere scored, easily tapping home from close range after Nicolas Raskin’s cross evaded some lax defending.
It was the first time the Americans had conceded the opener all World Cup. With the atmosphere deflated, no immediate fightback was visible on the pitch either. The midfield was outgunned and the defense looked nervous.
On the half-hour mark, Balogun drew a foul on the edge of the area and whipped the crowd back to life. He waved his arms frantically as Malik Tillman — fresh from scoring a free kick against Bosnia — lined up the ball.
Tillman’s shot deflected off the Belgian wall and span into the net, and the stadium shook
Source: Dunya News
