Debast moves on! Sporting defender watches Belgium thrash USA | OneFootball

Belgium beat the United States 4-1 and secured a place in the World Cup quarter-finals in a match marked by the tense atmosphere that preceded the opening whistle. Amid the controversy surrounding the participation of Folarin Balogun, who had been sent off in the match against Bosnia, following a request from Donald Trump. The response came in the best possible way: on the pitch. Zeno Debast did not leave the bench.

The Belgian national team showed an intensity it had not yet displayed at this World Cup and took control of the match early on. Without allowing the Americans to settle into their game, they took the lead through Charles De Ketelaere, who took advantage of a poor clearance by the opposing defence to open the scoring from close range.

Malik Tillman scored for the home side in the 31st minute from a direct free-kick. However, De Ketelaere restored the lead in the 33rd minute. Hans Vanaken, the forward’s former teammate from their Club Brugge days, made it 3-1 in the 57th minute.

As the United States tried to keep their dream of staying in the competition alive, Folarin Balogun, the team’s top scorer at this World Cup and whose suspension was lifted by FIFA, went virtually unnoticed and delivered a performance far below expectations.

. Besides reaching the next round, the victory will also have helped ease the Belgian Football Federation’s discontent, as it had been considering filing a formal complaint with FIFA over the lifting of Balogun’s suspension. In the end, Zeno Debast’s national team - who remains injured - had reason to smile.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.