The Belgian national team sensationally knocked the tournament hosts out of the trophy hunt, securing a convincing victory over the USA. The match, held in Seattle, ended with a score of 4-1 and was memorable not only for the Belgians' skill but also for a loud political gesture that served as a response to a recent FIFA scandal.
Destiny De Ketelaere and Vanaken's own goal
The Americans, hoping for a boost after their recent victory over Bosnia, faced Belgian class almost from the first minutes. Already in the 9th minute, the defense of the "Stars and Stripes" could not withstand the pressure: Nicolas Raschin found a pass to Charles De Ketelaere, who calmly opened the scoring.
However, things were not smooth for the Belgians. In the middle of the first half, Amadou Onana left the field due to an injury. His replacement, Hans Vanaken, nearly made the situation worse by scoring an own goal. In the 31st minute, during a free-kick by Malik Tillman, the ball rebounded off Vanaken's head into the net, leveling the score for the hosts at 1-1.
The joy of the stands lasted only two minutes. The Belgians responded instantly: Leandro Trossard cut out a precise pass to De Ketelaere, who completed his brace and restored his team's advantage — 2-1.
Goalkeeper error and the final score
The game was completely shut down after the break. First, the American leader Christian Pulisic suffered an injury and was forced to leave the field, and then the USA goalkeeper Matthew Fries made a fatal mistake. The goalkeeper unsuccessfully rushed far beyond the penalty area and, trying to make a pass, passed the ball to an opponent. Vanaken instantly oriented himself and lobbed the ball into the empty net from a distance, redeeming himself for his own goal.
"Trump Dance" as a response to the scandal
The main news hook erupted in the third minute of added time when Romelu Lukaku scored the fourth goal. Celebrating the goal, several players of the Belgian national team synchronously performed the famous "Trump Dance" — movements that had become a viral meme.
This gesture was pure trolling, referring to the loud scandal that had erupted the day before the game. FIFA unexpectedly annulled the disqualification of the USA forward Folarin Balogun for a red card. Rumors of pressure on the association instantly appeared in the press, and Donald Trump himself publicly thanked the organization on his social media. UEFA called this decision "incomprehensible," and the Belgian footballers decided to respond to it directly during the match.
Balogun ultimately did not help the team in any way and left the field without any goal contributions. However, the Belgians demonstrated that they can be subtle trolls.
Results for the USA national team
Despite the crushing defeat, USA goalkeeper Matthew Fries leaves the tournament with a unique achievement. He became the record holder for his country in the number of matches won at the World Cup, securing three victories and surpassing Brad Friedel and James Douglas.
