The controversy surrounding Folarin Balogun’s delayed suspension hung over the match like a storm cloud that never broke. On the pitch, it made little impact. Belgium eased past a defensively sloppy United States, securing a World Cup quarter-final berth against Spain.
Balogun, the co-hosts’ striker, was at the centre of a dispute that shrouded the encounter in bitterness before a ball was even kicked. Yet when the whistle blew, the USA offered little resistance. Belgium, clinical and composed, exploited every defensive lapse to render the off-field drama irrelevant.
“Belgium beat USA in World Cup, setting up Spain quarter-final amid Balogun suspension row.”
The result means Belgium will face Spain in the last eight, a tie that promises a sterner test. For the US, the tournament ends in disappointment. The co-hosts limp out of their own World Cup, their campaign cut short by a Belgian side that barely broke a sweat.