Sports
Belgium beat co-hosts USA 4-1 to advance to World Cup quarter-finals
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Belgium dumped the United States out of their own World Cup on Tuesday, as Charles De Ketelaere’s brace secured a 4-1 win that was eclipsed by the bitter row over Folarin Balogun’s ban.
Victory means the Belgians face Spain in the quarter-finals, while the US follow co-hosts Canada and Mexico out of the tournament with elimination in the round of 16 after a thoroughly flat performance.
All attention pre-game had been on Balogun’s place in the US starting lineup, after US President Donald Trump asked FIFA to review the striker’s one-game suspension for a red card, and the governing body controversially obliged.
But Belgium’s XI had a few surprises of its own, with Kevin De Bruyne and Jeremy Doku among the heavyweights benched. And coach Rudi Garcia’s gambit proved inspired, with De Ketelaere grabbing an early goal to puncture the feelgood vibes in Seattle.
Malik Tillman grabbed one back from a free kick, but De Ketelaere swiftly restored Belgium’s lead. A catastrophic piece of goalkeeping by Matt Freese and a late Romelu Lukaku goal left the Americans dead and buried.
FIFA’s move to suspend Balogun’s ban after he was sent off in the previous round against Bosnia and Herzegovina has been slammed by football fans, pundits and players around the world, but there were no such misgivings among the Seattle crowd.
A colossal roar greeted the stadium announcement of Balogun’s name in the starting XI, vastly dwarfing the cheers even for US talisman Christian Pulisic.
The “USA” thunderclap then echoed around the stadium, utterly drowning out a small corner of chanting Belgium fans in the opening minutes.
But the American party was swiftly silenced. The majority of 67,000 fans fell silent in the ninth minute as De Ketelaere scored, easily tapping home from close range after Nicolas Raskin’s cross evaded some lax defending.
It was the first time the Americans had conceded the opener all World Cup. With the atmosphere deflated, no immediate fightback was visible on the pitch either. The midfield was outgunned and the defense looked nervous.
On the half-hour mark, Balogun drew a foul on the edge of the area and whipped the crowd back to life. He waved his arms frantically as Malik Tillman — fresh from scoring a free kick against Bosnia — lined up the ball.
Tillman’s shot deflected off the Belgian wall and span into the net, and the stadium shook.
– Dream over –
But the joy was again short-lived. In the 33rd minute, De Ketelaere leapt up to meet Leandro Trossard’s cross and comfortably out-jumped an off-balance Tim Ream to score his second.
The US inched back into the game as the first half closed out, with Balogun blasting over from a long Tillman throw, then narrowly failing to catch a long ball, again from the Bayer Leverkusen midfielder.
US coach Mauricio Pochettino switched formation at half-time, sending Gio Reyna into the number 10 role and pushing Weston McKennie out to the right. The Americans resumed play with more intensity, pushing higher up the pitch.
But self-inflicted disaster struck in the 57th minute. Freese came out to collect a Belgium long ball, turned to evade the charging De Ketelaere, but then hesitated with his pass.
De Ketelaere jabbed the ball to Hans Vanaken, who made no mistake with an open goal from long range.
Pulisic limped off with an injury minutes later, and with him went the US dreams of reaching a first World Cup quarter-final since 2002.
His replacement, Sebastian Berhalter, flashed an ambitious shot narrowly wide in the 79th minute, and Balogun had a close-range effort saved soon after.
But Chris Richards handed the ball to Lukaku in stoppage time, and the veteran striker did not hestitate to seal the rout.
Switzerland booked their place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarter-finals after defeating Colombia 4-3 in a dramatic penalty shootout following a goalless 120 minutes in their Round of 16 clash at BC Place in Vancouver.
The two sides, on Tuesday, failed to find a breakthrough during regulation or extra time despite creating several opportunities.
Colombia came closest through Jhon Lucumí, whose effort struck the crossbar, while Switzerland threatened through Zeki Amdouni and Ruben Vargas, but neither side could break the deadlock.
In the shootout, Switzerland held their nerve to prevail 4-3, sealing their place in the last eight where they will face defending champions, Argentina.
The victory completes the quarter-final lineup after a tense and evenly contested encounter that was decided only from the penalty spot.
Lionel Messi continued his remarkable run at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Tuesday, scoring again as Argentina came from behind to defeat Egypt 3-2 in a dramatic Round of 16 clash.
The Argentina captain found the net against the Pharaohs to extend his scoring streak at the tournament to five consecutive matches.
Combined with his final four appearances at the 2022 World Cup, Messi has now scored in nine straight World Cup matches, setting a new record in the history of the competition.
The 39-year-old had previously equalled the mark against Austria before moving clear with his goal against Egypt.
Messi Equals Stábile’s 1930 Record
Messi’s goal against Egypt was his eighth of the 2026 tournament, drawing him level with Argentine great Guillermo Stábile for the most goals scored by an Argentina player at a single FIFA World Cup.
Stábile set the long-standing record at the inaugural World Cup in 1930.
Despite the difference in tournament formats between 1930 and the modern competition, both players reached the eight-goal mark in just five matches.
Messi began his 2026 campaign with a hat-trick against Algeria before scoring another treble against Austria. He later added goals against Jordan, Cape Verde and Egypt to take his tally to eight.
Stábile, on the other hand, scored three times against Mexico, twice against Chile, two more in the semi-final against the United States and once in the final against Uruguay.
The strike against Egypt also added another country to the list of nations Messi has scored against at the World Cup.
No player has scored against more different national teams in World Cup history than the Argentine captain, with Egypt becoming the latest side to concede against him on football’s biggest stage.
Messi also strengthened his position as the competition’s all-time leading scorer, taking his World Cup tally to 21 goals as Argentina advanced to the quarter-finals.
Messi’s most prolific World Cup performances have come in the closing years of his international career.
After scoring seven goals during Argentina’s victorious 2022 campaign, he has already surpassed that figure at the 2026 tournament with eight goals.
Remarkably, Messi scored only six World Cup goals across his first four tournaments between 2006 and 2018.
His latest exploits underline a stunning transformation in his scoring output, with the Argentine captain continuing to rewrite football history at 39.
Argentina comeback to overturn a two-goal lead and wallop Egypt 3-2 in a thrilling FIFA World Cup Round of 16 encounter on Tuesday, booking their place in the quarter-finals.Soccer
The South American giants looked destined for a shock exit after Egypt raced into a two-goal lead through Youssef Ibrahim El Hanafi and Mohamed Zaki Abdelraouf.
El Hanafi opened the scoring in the 15th minute, giving the Pharaohs an early advantage before Abdelraouf doubled the lead in the 67th minute, leaving Lionel Messi and his teammates with a mountain to climb.
However, Argentina mounted a remarkable fightback in the closing stages of the contest.
Cristian Romero sparked the revival in the 79th minute, heading home to halve the deficit and breathe life into Argentina’s hopes.
Just four minutes later, captain Lionel Messi restored parity with a clinical finish in the 83rd minute, sending the Mercedes-Benz Stadium into celebration as Argentina drew level at 2-2.
With extra time looming, Enzo Fernández completed the stunning turnaround in stoppage time, firing home the decisive goal in the 90+2nd minute to seal an unforgettable 3-2 victory.
The dramatic win ensured Argentina progressed to the quarter-finals after one of the most entertaining matches of the tournament, while Egypt bowed out despite producing a spirited display and coming within minutes of a famous upset.
Argentina will now shift their attention to the quarter-finals as they continue their quest for another FIFA World Cup title.
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