by Craig Laycock
Original article:
USA 1 - 4 Belgium
Tillman (31’) | De Ketelaere (9', 33'), Vanaken (57’), Lukaku (90'+3)
Well, that backfired.
While the headlines coming into this game focused on the dramatic intervention of the US president Donald Trump in overturning Folarin Balogun’s red card, that perceived injustice seemed only to provide a comprehensive team talk to Belgium and motivate them to put on a display of attacking prowess, buoyed by neutral support.
They awoke to produce their best display of the tournament and dismantled the USA by 4 goals to 1 in what proved to be an entertaining encounter characterised by Belgium’s apparent total motivation to win.
While many will focus on the off-field affairs that led up to the game, the game itself was a demonstration of how a game can be lost mentally on the field itself, with Belgium finding an answer for every moment in the game, and the US looking crestfallen.
Perhaps the key moment of the game was with the game poised at 1-1. Belgium had taken the lead through the excellent De Ketelaere in the 9th minute. His tap in put the USA on the back foot and searching for a response. When they found it through the bright light of Tillman to equalise, they ended up undoing all of their hard work almost immediately.
Belgium’s mentality had been ratcheted up a notch, and they responded straight away to peg the USA back again with another goal just a minute or two later. That man De Ketelaere was there again to do the business.
On the touchline, you could see the impact that goal had on the game plan. Having worked so hard to get back into the game, manager Mauricio Pochettino cut a frustrated figure, kicking a crate of water bottles. They say you’re never more vulnerable than when you’ve just scored a goal, and the USA had just switched off.
Spoiler: it was going to get worse. After the break, the calamity of the tournament so far happened when USA keeper Matt Freese went walkabout well outside his area and then froze like a rabbit in the headlights while in possession. He was dispossessed outside his box, before Belgium calmly slotted home from distance.
Juxtaposed to the pomp and posturing of fireworks, talk of potentially winning the World Cup and a multi-jet flyover of the stadium, this was a team that seemed oddly exposed and unwilling to embrace the mentality of the occasion being taught a lesson by an old hand.
And Lukaku, looking his old self, added insult to injury with a fourth in the dying moments of the game, with what was a smart finish to the bottom corner. As the Belgian FA said after the game: “Overturn that”.
6 min read
USA 1 - 4 Belgium
Tillman (31’) | De Ketelaere (9', 33'), Vanaken (57’), Lukaku (90'+3)
Well, that backfired.
While the headlines coming into this game focused on the dramatic intervention of the US president Donald Trump in overturning Folarin Balogun’s red card, that perceived injustice seemed only to provide a comprehensive team talk to Belgium and motivate them to put on a display of attacking prowess, buoyed by neutral support.
They awoke to produce their best display of the tournament and dismantled the USA by 4 goals to 1 in what proved to be an entertaining encounter characterised by Belgium’s apparent total motivation to win.
While many will focus on the off-field affairs that led up to the game, the game itself was a demonstration of how a game can be lost mentally on the field itself, with Belgium finding an answer for every moment in the game, and the US looking crestfallen.
Perhaps the key moment of the game was with the game poised at 1-1. Belgium had taken the lead through the excellent De Ketelaere in the 9th minute. His tap in put the USA on the back foot and searching for a response. When they found it through the bright light of Tillman to equalise, they ended up undoing all of their hard work almost immediately.
Belgium’s mentality had been ratcheted up a notch, and they responded straight away to peg the USA back again with another goal just a minute or two later. That man De Ketelaere was there again to do the business.
On the touchline, you could see the impact that goal had on the game plan. Having worked so hard to get back into the game, manager Mauricio Pochettino cut a frustrated figure, kicking a crate of water bottles. They say you’re never more vulnerable than when you’ve just scored a goal, and the USA had just switched off.
Spoiler: it was going to get worse. After the break, the calamity of the tournament so far happened when USA keeper Matt Freese went walkabout well outside his area and then froze like a rabbit in the headlights while in possession. He was dispossessed outside his box, before Belgium calmly slotted home from distance.
Juxtaposed to the pomp and posturing of fireworks, talk of potentially winning the World Cup and a multi-jet flyover of the stadium, this was a team that seemed oddly exposed and unwilling to embrace the mentality of the occasion being taught a lesson by an old hand.
And Lukaku, looking his old self, added insult to injury with a fourth in the dying moments of the game, with what was a smart finish to the bottom corner. As the Belgian FA said after the game: “Overturn that”.
Last 16: Motivated Belgium give USA the red card
Pochettin - oh no.
Original article:
USA 1 - 4 Belgium
Tillman (31’) | De Ketelaere (9', 33'), Vanaken (57’), Lukaku (90'+3)
Well, that backfired.
While the headlines coming into this game focused on the dramatic intervention of the US president Donald Trump in overturning Folarin Balogun’s red card, that perceived injustice seemed only to provide a comprehensive team talk to Belgium and motivate them to put on a display of attacking prowess, buoyed by neutral support.
They awoke to produce their best display of the tournament and dismantled the USA by 4 goals to 1 in what proved to be an entertaining encounter characterised by Belgium’s apparent total motivation to win.
While many will focus on the off-field affairs that led up to the game, the game itself was a demonstration of how a game can be lost mentally on the field itself, with Belgium finding an answer for every moment in the game, and the US looking crestfallen.
Perhaps the key moment of the game was with the game poised at 1-1. Belgium had taken the lead through the excellent De Ketelaere in the 9th minute. His tap in put the USA on the back foot and searching for a response. When they found it through the bright light of Tillman to equalise, they ended up undoing all of their hard work almost immediately.
Belgium’s mentality had been ratcheted up a notch, and they responded straight away to peg the USA back again with another goal just a minute or two later. That man De Ketelaere was there again to do the business.
On the touchline, you could see the impact that goal had on the game plan. Having worked so hard to get back into the game, manager Mauricio Pochettino cut a frustrated figure, kicking a crate of water bottles. They say you’re never more vulnerable than when you’ve just scored a goal, and the USA had just switched off.
Spoiler: it was going to get worse. After the break, the calamity of the tournament so far happened when USA keeper Matt Freese went walkabout well outside his area and then froze like a rabbit in the headlights while in possession. He was dispossessed outside his box, before Belgium calmly slotted home from distance.
Juxtaposed to the pomp and posturing of fireworks, talk of potentially winning the World Cup and a multi-jet flyover of the stadium, this was a team that seemed oddly exposed and unwilling to embrace the mentality of the occasion being taught a lesson by an old hand.
And Lukaku, looking his old self, added insult to injury with a fourth in the dying moments of the game, with what was a smart finish to the bottom corner. As the Belgian FA said after the game: “Overturn that”.
6 min read
Last 16: Motivated Belgium give USA the red card
Pochettin - oh no.
USA 1 - 4 Belgium
Tillman (31’) | De Ketelaere (9', 33'), Vanaken (57’), Lukaku (90'+3)
Well, that backfired.
While the headlines coming into this game focused on the dramatic intervention of the US president Donald Trump in overturning Folarin Balogun’s red card, that perceived injustice seemed only to provide a comprehensive team talk to Belgium and motivate them to put on a display of attacking prowess, buoyed by neutral support.
They awoke to produce their best display of the tournament and dismantled the USA by 4 goals to 1 in what proved to be an entertaining encounter characterised by Belgium’s apparent total motivation to win.
While many will focus on the off-field affairs that led up to the game, the game itself was a demonstration of how a game can be lost mentally on the field itself, with Belgium finding an answer for every moment in the game, and the US looking crestfallen.
Perhaps the key moment of the game was with the game poised at 1-1. Belgium had taken the lead through the excellent De Ketelaere in the 9th minute. His tap in put the USA on the back foot and searching for a response. When they found it through the bright light of Tillman to equalise, they ended up undoing all of their hard work almost immediately.
Belgium’s mentality had been ratcheted up a notch, and they responded straight away to peg the USA back again with another goal just a minute or two later. That man De Ketelaere was there again to do the business.
On the touchline, you could see the impact that goal had on the game plan. Having worked so hard to get back into the game, manager Mauricio Pochettino cut a frustrated figure, kicking a crate of water bottles. They say you’re never more vulnerable than when you’ve just scored a goal, and the USA had just switched off.
Spoiler: it was going to get worse. After the break, the calamity of the tournament so far happened when USA keeper Matt Freese went walkabout well outside his area and then froze like a rabbit in the headlights while in possession. He was dispossessed outside his box, before Belgium calmly slotted home from distance.
Juxtaposed to the pomp and posturing of fireworks, talk of potentially winning the World Cup and a multi-jet flyover of the stadium, this was a team that seemed oddly exposed and unwilling to embrace the mentality of the occasion being taught a lesson by an old hand.
And Lukaku, looking his old self, added insult to injury with a fourth in the dying moments of the game, with what was a smart finish to the bottom corner. As the Belgian FA said after the game: “Overturn that”.
6 min read