USA 1 – 4 Belgium

Folarin Balogun’s red card remedy hindered rather than helped his country as Team USA fell 4-1 to Belgium to end the co-hosts’ World Cup dreams.

The PR circus following FIFA’s decision to suspend his red card, including Donald Trump’s involvement in a supposedly independent process, only appeared to rouse the Americans’ opponents and overwhelm themselves as Belgium kept their hosts sleepless in Seattle to set up a quarter-final tie with Spain.

The Europeans were particularly dominant before half-time and could have gone ahead within a minute when Timothy Kasten forced Matt Friese into a full-stretch save, while outsized peripheral Balogun had just 11 touches in the opening period.

The USA showed none of their typical Pochettino verve and were uncharacteristically passive as the schoolboys defended their World Cup hopes for every Belgium goal.

For Charles de Ketelair’s early opener, three players hesitated to intercept Leandro Trossard’s bouncing cross which allowed Nicholas Raskin to steal in and square for the Atalanta forward to tap home.

The hosts were on target shortly after the first hydration break courtesy of Malik Tillman’s deflected free-kick – their only shot on target in the opening period – before they switched off again after 116 seconds when De Ketelair nodded home Trossard’s dangling cross at the back post.

Pochettino finally got to his side at the break but just when the momentum looked to be on their side, they shot themselves in the foot again as Freeze moved into possession outside his area and substitute Hans Vanaken’s long-range effort deflected off Tim Reim’s clumsy effort.

Little mattered at that point, with Romelu Lukaku’s late fourth after another defensive howler from Chris Richards sending the United States’ World Cup hopes into a tailspin – and questions could be asked about whether Trump’s intervention was worth the media furor that negatively affected his national side.

Highlights from Seattle

• 1: Off! With just 46 seconds on the clock, Castagne aimed a 25-yard effort into the top corner that Freese kept out with a finger-tip save.
• 8: Tielemann should have put the dominant Belgian forward but the ball completely misses from Lukebakio’s pull-back.
• 9: Goal! De Ketteler made amends within a minute when he tapped home Ruskin’s tee-up after a hesitant USA defence.
• 31: Goal! Tillman’s deflected free-kick wrong-footed Courtois to bring the USA level with their first chance.
• 33: Goal! De Ketelair restored Belgium’s lead with a back-post header less than two minutes after the U.S. equalized.
• 45: Chance! Balogun fired after a long throw when Ngoye did enough to throw him off balance inside the area.
• 57: Goal! disaster De Ketteler’s ball outside the box caught a free, before Vanaken’s poor effort somehow went over to add Rem’s third.
• 90+3: Goal! Richards was tackled by Lukaku on the edge of his own box and was punished by the Belgian substitute who finished smartly.

Rate the players