Belgium's 4-1 win over USA became about far more than the football

Belgium beat USA 4-1 in the World Cup round of 16 at Seattle Stadium, but the scoreline did not stay centre stage for long. Romelu Lukaku's late fourth goal was followed by the so-called Trump dance, and the post-match reaction only pushed that image further ahead of the football. It turned a comfortable knockout win into a far louder argument about celebration, grievance and timing.

The celebration that took over the match

The football itself was fairly one-sided. Charles De Ketelaere scored in the ninth minute and again in the 33rd, giving Belgium early control, and Hans Vanaken made it 3-1 in the 57th minute after Matt Freese's miscontrol. Lukaku then added the late fourth.

That last goal became the defining moment because of what followed. Lukaku celebrated in Donald Trump's style, and Belgium's official account leaned into it after full time. Posting through its official channel, the team wrote, via express.co.uk: "Overturn this,"

That was the moment the match stopped being just a 4-1 round-of-16 result. Belgium were already through comfortably, with four goals on the board and USA limited to one, but the celebration gave the night a sharper edge than the football alone would have done.

There is one awkward detail around the online reaction. Reports said the image attached to Belgium's post showed a 4-1 final score, while the verified match result was USA 1-4 Belgium. The score itself is not in doubt. The point is that Belgium wanted the jab to land publicly after the game.

De Ketelaere was still the standout player on the pitch. His 8.3 rating reflected the brace, and he effectively settled the tie before the hour mark. In normal circumstances, that would have been the lead. It was not on this occasion.

The Balogun row in the background

The temperature had already been raised before kick-off because Folarin Balogun's one-match red card ban was suspended after an intervention that Belgium formally challenged. Belgium clearly felt wronged by the process, and that helps explain why the mood around the match was so tense even before Lukaku's celebration.

The Royal Belgian Football Association said, via express.co.uk: "This leaves all further actions open. To date, the RBFA has still not received any grounds for this decision, nor has it received the information it has been requesting since the start of this procedure."

Balogun's importance to the build-up was obvious enough. He had 3 goals in 4 tournament appearances, so the eligibility dispute involved one of USA's key attackers rather than a fringe player. Belgium did not just complain and move on either. The challenge was formal, and the irritation carried into a match they controlled from the start.

Standard.co.uk also carried Balogun's account of a post-match exchange with Belgium's camp. He said: "I just wanted to say congratulations to Belgium and Rudi Garcia, and wish them good luck for the rest of the tournament. That was pretty much the conversation I had with him. He said he hopes that this situation won't overshadow the fantastic World Cup I've had. He just wanted to encourage me to be positive and to be proud of what I've been able to accomplish in this tournament."

That is the fairest way to read the whole night. Belgium were the better side in USA vs Belgium, and they won by three goals, but the match will be remembered as much for the Balogun dispute and the Trump dance as for De Ketelaere's brace. USA are out at the round-of-16 stage, while Belgium move on after a win that became far noisier than a routine 4-1 knockout result.