With Charles De Quetelare as the main protagonist, who scored two goals and provided one assist, Belgium defeated the USA 4-1 in Seattle and qualified for the quarterfinals of the World Cup.
The “Red Devils” put in a convincing performance against the co-hosts and will now face Spain in the quarter-finals on Friday in Inglewood, California.
Belgium dominated the first half and went into the locker room with a 2-1 lead. The USA came out strong in the second half, increasing their pressure to equalize, but instead of the goal they were looking for, they suffered another blow.
In the 57th minute, USA goalkeeper Matt Frisch stepped out of his area to face a long ball, but failed to clear it properly. De Ketelare won possession and provided the assist for Hans Vanaken, who scored into an empty net to make it 3-1.
The Atalanta striker had already shaped the picture of the match in the first half, scoring two goals in the 9th and 33rd minutes, exploiting the gaps in the American defense and leaving Frisch with no room to react.
The USA had temporarily equalized in the 31st minute through Malik Tillman. The midfielder took a free kick just outside the Belgian area, the ball bounced off bodies and ended up in the net, while Thibaut Courtois had moved in the opposite direction.
This goal gave the Americans a breather and excited the 66,925 spectators who filled the stadium, but their joy was short-lived.
Less than two minutes later, De Quetelare took advantage of Leandro Trossard’s cross and headed the ball into the net again. It was the second time the Belgian striker had found himself between American defenders Tim Ream and Anthony Robinson, this time winning the aerial duel with Ream.
His first goal came in the 9th minute, when the US defense failed to clear the ball despite the presence of many players in the area. Nicholas Raskin, who replaced Kevin De Bruyne in the lineup, received the ball on the edge of the area and with a close cross found De Ketelare, who executed easily.
Belgium completed their triumph in injury time when Romelu Lukaku took advantage of another mistake by the American defense, after Chris Richards lost the ball, making the final 4-1.
REFEREE : Adam Mohammad Makhadmeh (Jordan)
YELLOWS: 69′ Tillman, 35′ McKennie
USA (Mauricio Pochettino): Friese, Freeman, Richards, Ream, Robinson (92′ Wright), McKennie, Adams (72′ Pepi), Tillman, Dest (46′ Reina), Balogun (92′ Arfsten), Pulisic (59′ Berhalter).
BELGIUM (Rudi Garcia): Courtois, Castagnet, Mechele, Ngoi, De Kuyper, Tielemans, Raskin (89′ Witsel), Trossard (89′ Salemakers), Onana (21′ Vanaken), Lukebaki (68′ Doku), De Ketelare (68′ Lukaku).