From The Sports Desk: Belgium demolishes the U.S. 4-1, and then trolls it afterward

4 weeks ago 9

The United States’ World Cup run was brought to a screeching halt successful Seattle past nighttime by a Belgian squad that played arsenic if it had other information aft the Folarin Balogun affair. The Red Devils, angered by FIFA’s determination to reinstate the U.S. striker aft helium received a reddish paper successful the erstwhile round, delighted successful trolling their hosts during and aft the match.

Today, we’ll find retired which last 2 teams marque the quarterfinals. Will Lionel Messi person different indelible performance? Our NBC News squad is live-blogging the games. Don’t miss out!

World Cup Recap

The U.S. kicked disconnected its circular of 16 lucifer against Belgium successful precocious spirits, boosted by the instrumentality of its apical extremity scorer astatine the tourney successful Balogun. But the 4-1 decision that followed was a brutal reminder that it is inactive playing catch-up against the world’s elite teams.

In truth, the U.S. spurned a aureate accidental to scope its archetypal quarterfinals since the Landon Donovan squad of 2002, facing a Belgian broadside that had struggled successful the tourney truthful acold and that had near 3 header players — Kevin De Bruyne, Jeremy Doku and Romelu Lukaku — connected the seat to commencement the game.

Where was the verve from the erstwhile matches? The U.S. played similar it was weighed down by the contention implicit the suspension of Balogun’s reddish card. Belgium’s Charles De Ketelaere scored doubly and assisted connected different extremity arsenic the U.S. defence crumbled. Goalkeeper Matt Freese had a crippled to forget.

Malik Tillman did people to marque it 1-1 successful the archetypal half, but the Americans conceded a extremity soon aft that. Hans Vanaken made it 3-1 successful the 57th infinitesimal aft Freese mislaid power of the ball. Lukaku came disconnected the seat and scored successful stoppage time. It was his 93rd planetary goal, and helium became the archetypal subordinate to people arsenic a substitute successful 4 antithetic World Cup matches.

Mauricio Pochettino, Head Coach of the United States, speaks with players successful a huddle aft the 1-4 nonaccomplishment during the FIFA World Cup 2026.

“Today, we were not the aforesaid squad successful the tourney that showed our quality,” manager Mauricio Pochettino said aft the match. For the U.S., it goes retired again successful the circular of 16, a disappointing extremity to a tourney that started with specified promise.

The Belgian squad reveled successful its success. “Overturn this,” it posted connected societal media, alongside images of Lukaku’s goal, cupping his receptor to the Seattle crowd. During the match, Lukaku led his teammates successful a radical imitation of President Donald Trump’s trademark “Y.M.C.A.” dance.

The Red Devils play 2010 champion Spain connected Friday astatine Inglewood, California, for a semifinal berth against France oregon Morocco.

Meanwhile, Spain defeated Portugal 1-0, and Cristiano Ronaldo confirmed helium has played his past World Cup match. He retires without a World Cup rubric oregon a World Cup last quality to his name. Spain’s goalkeeper Unai Simon reached 519 minutes without conceding astatine the World Cup, breaking the grounds of Italy’s Walter Zenga.

World Cup Preview

The past 2 circular of 16 games are today, including Switzerland against Colombia successful Vancouver, British Columbia, and Lionel Messi’s Argentina and Mohamed Salah’s Egypt squaring disconnected successful Atlanta.

The Pharaohs earned their archetypal World Cup triumph by beating New Zealand 3-1 successful the radical stage. They got their archetypal knockout signifier triumph by beating Australia connected penalties.

Lionel Messi runs successful solemnisation adjacent a shot nett connected the field

Messi has scored 7 goals successful the tournament, the aforesaid arsenic Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland, successful the contention for the Golden Boot. Messi has besides scored successful a grounds 8 consecutive World Cup matches, dating backmost to Argentina’s 2022 rubric run.

Despite playing against Argentina, the defending champs, Egypt manager Hossam Hassan said: “We’re nary underdogs. We’re large successful each respect. We are a civilization that is 7,000 years old, adjacent much than 7,000 years.”