Belgium rout USA 4-1, Trump taunt and Onana blow as Spain await | OneFootball

Belgium thrashed the United States 4-1 to book a World Cup quarter-final with Spain in Los Angeles on Friday at 21:00. Mauricio Pochettino's side were well beaten as Rudi Garcia's team continued their upswing.

According to El Periódico Mediterráneo, Donald Trump may have helped clear Florian Balogun for the last 16, yet he could do nothing on the pitch as Balogun and Christian Pulisic struggled.

Belgium had a message for Trump and the US. After Romelu Lukaku’s stoppage-time goal, players mimicked the US president’s trademark dance, then the team accounts posted “It’s called football” and “Anula esto”, the latter referring to Balogun’s red card being annulled.

It came at a cost. Aston Villa midfielder Amadou Onana went off early in Seattle with a knee injury after a bad fall. Ligament damage is being discussed in Belgium, there is no official update, and he left in tears on crutches, almost ruled out for the next match.

The tournament’s standout howler came from US goalkeeper Mat Freese, the first Harvard graduate to play at a World Cup. He came for a Belgian long ball, controlled, hesitated and was robbed by Charles De Ketelaere, leaving Hans Vanaken to find the net from distance.

Spain’s win over Portugal sparked a fraught mixed zone. After Cristiano Ronaldo and Roberto Martínez announced their farewells, Rúben Dias left indignant following a demand that questions come from Portuguese journalists.

All three co-hosts exited in the same round, with the United States joining Mexico and Canada in going out.

Source: El Periódico Mediterráneo