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Belgium is headed into the World Cup quarterfinals after a thrilling 4-1 win against the United States, a match marked by controversy over FIFA’s decision to lift USA’s star forward Folarin Balogun’s one-game red card suspension.
While the US was boosted by the presence of Balogun, American defenders were at fault in a pair of first-half goals by Belgium’s Charles De Ketelaere, who scored at the 9th and 33rd minute.
USA goalkeeper Matt Freese’s gaffe gave the Red Devils a third early in the second half, and substitute Romelu Lukaku added Belgium’s final goal in the third minute of stoppage time.
Last Wednesday during the Americans’ 2-0 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina, Balogun was shown a red card by Brazilian referee Raphael Claus for stepping on an opponent’s ankle, triggering an automatic one-game suspension.
After Trump spoke by phone to FIFA president Gianni Infantino, FIFA’s disciplinary committee suspended the discipline for a year on Sunday. But he ultimately played a forgettable role in the match against Belgium.
While he did not score, Balogun set up Malik Tillman’s goal in the 31st minute when he was fouled by Belgium defender Brandon Mechele roughly 25 yards outside the Red Devils’ goal.
The US tried to set up Balogun multiple times. He made use of his speed on several runs but could not get past Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. His best chance came in the 82nd minute, when Courtois got in front of a left-footed attempt. Balogun was replaced by Haji Wright in the 92nd minute.
Seeking its first World Cup title, Belgium knocked the US out in the round of 16 for the second time in 12 years and extended its unbeaten streak to 18 games. The Red Devils play 2010 champion Spain on Friday at Inglewood, California, for a semifinal berth against France or Morocco.
Spain 1-0 Portugal
Spain broke a World Cup record with its sixth consecutive clean sheet and goalkeeper Unai Simón extended his record for the tournament’s longest scoreless streak to 609 minutes in Monday’s 1-0 win over Portugal.
Simón came into the Portugal game having made only four saves in this World Cup — Austria had no shots on target — and on Monday at the home of the Dallas Cowboys, Simón had to make two saves in the first half against Portugal, both on shots by Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo walked off the pitch after his final World Cup match for Portugal with a stoic look on his face and only the slightest hint of emotion. There was a brief wave to acknowledge cheering fans, and the same feeling he has had after past losses.
“Sad — it’s normal after being eliminated like this,” said Ronaldo, who briefly shielded his eyes with his right hand after the match.
“I’ve given everything, I’ve given my best, and I leave with a clear conscience,” he said. “This is soccer, this is life for a soccer player. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose.”
Ronaldo, the only player to score goals in six World Cups in a row and the career leader in international goals with 146, said the day before that he hoped it wouldn’t be his final match in this run and wanted to enjoy it to the fullest.
But he reiterated then — and again after the loss to Spain — that this was his last time in the tournament that’s played every four years. The deepest he ever went in the World Cup was the semifinals in his 2006 debut.
Portugal had never won a major international tournament before Ronaldo. The first was the 2016 European Championship, before adding Nations League titles in 2019 and 2025.
Ronaldo’s finale on soccer’s biggest stage came eight years after he recorded a World Cup hat trick at age 33. That made him the oldest to have one, and that stood until then-38-year-old Lionel Messi scored three goals for Argentina in a 3-0 win over Algeria on 16 June.
Additional sources • AP