USA 1-4 Belgium - De Ketelaere ends the host dream
Belgium tore through the U.S. defense in Seattle, with Charles De Ketelaere scoring twice and helping send the last co-host out of the World Cup.
Belgium did not just beat the United States. It made the co-hosts look jumpy in their own penalty area.
Charles De Ketelaere scored in the 9th and 33rd minutes, either side of Malik Tillman's deflected free kick in the 31st. Hans Vanaken punished Matt Freese's missed clearance in the 57th, and Romelu Lukaku finished the 4-1 win in stoppage time. Belgium now get Spain at Los Angeles Stadium on July 10; the last co-host is out. 1
Timeline
- 9' - De Ketelaere taps in after Belgium overload the U.S. box. 1
- 31' - Tillman drags the U.S. level with a free kick that wrong-foots Thibaut Courtois. 2
- 33' - Belgium answer almost immediately, De Ketelaere heading in his second. 1
- 57' - Freese comes out, misses the ball, and Vanaken turns the mistake into breathing room. 2
- 90+3' - Lukaku curls in the fourth after Belgium press one more loose U.S. touch. 2
The box score was blunt: Belgium won expected goals 2.01 to 0.63 and shots on goal 7 to 2, even while the U.S. had 56 percent possession. 3 Possession without calm is just waiting in line to be robbed.
One-line verdict: Belgium looked like a side that knew exactly where the panic buttons were; the U.S. kept pressing them.
Quote of the Day
"It was really tough from the beginning. We congratulate Belgium, they were better than us. It wasn't our day." - Mauricio Pochettino 1
References
- 1FIFA match report and highlights
fifa.com
- 2ESPN game analysis
espn.com
- 3ESPN final score and team stats
espn.com
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