Belgium beat United States 4-1 to reach World Cup quarter-finals

SEATTLE: Belgium knocked the United States out of the World Cup with a 4-1 win in the round of 16 on Monday, sending the Europeans into a quarter-final against Spain and ending the hosts' campaign after Canada and Mexico had already exited the tournament.

The match came amid heavy attention on Folarin Balogun's inclusion for the US after FIFA suspended his one-game ban following a red card in the previous round against Bosnia and Herzegovina. US President Donald Trump had asked FIFA to review the suspension. FIFA's decision drew criticism from fans, pundits and players, but Balogun was named in Mauricio Pochettino's starting lineup.

Belgium coach Rudi Garcia also made notable selection calls, leaving Kevin De Bruyne and Jeremy Doku on the bench. His changes paid off quickly as Charles De Ketelaere put Belgium ahead in the ninth minute, finishing from close range after Nicolas Raskin's cross got through the US defence. It was the first time the Americans had fallen behind first in the tournament.

The home crowd of 67,000 had loudly welcomed Balogun's name before kickoff, with chants in support of the United States dominating the early atmosphere. But Belgium's opener quietened the stadium, and the US initially struggled to respond as their midfield came under pressure and the defence looked uneasy.

The Americans drew level on the half-hour mark after Balogun won a free kick on the edge of the area. Malik Tillman's effort, after taking the set piece, took a deflection off the Belgian wall and spun into the net. The equaliser briefly lifted the hosts, but Belgium restored their lead three minutes later when De Ketelaere rose to meet a Leandro Trossard cross and beat Tim Ream to score his second goal of the match.

The US showed more urgency before the interval. Balogun fired over from a long Tillman throw and then just failed to get on the end of another delivery from the Bayer Leverkusen midfielder. At halftime, Pochettino altered the shape, moving Gio Reyna into the number 10 role and shifting Weston McKennie to the right as the United States tried to increase the tempo.

That push was undone in the 57th minute by a major mistake from goalkeeper Matt Freese. He came out to deal with a long Belgium ball and, after turning away from the advancing De Ketelaere, hesitated over his pass. De Ketelaere then poked the ball to Hans Vanaken, who scored into an empty net from distance to make it 3-1.

Christian Pulisic went off injured shortly afterwards. His replacement, Sebastian Berhalter, sent a long-range effort narrowly wide in the 79th minute, and Balogun then saw a close-range attempt saved. Belgium added a fourth in stoppage time when Chris Richards gave the ball away to Romelu Lukaku, who finished to complete the result.

The defeat ended the United States' attempt to reach a first World Cup quarter-final since 2002, while Belgium moved on to face Spain in the last eight.