Charles De Ketelaere was the star tonight for Belgium, playing a role in all three goals in their dominant victory over USA. With pre-match headlines focused on the suspension of Folarin Balogun’s red card, the hosts may have felt extra pressure heading into the match.
In a tough evening in Seattle, Belgium managed to strike first just nine minutes in. Dodi Lukebakio had a beautiful switch of play to find Leandro Trossard on the left, whose cross was blocked by Alex Freeman. Chris Richards’ poor clearance allowed Nicolas Raskin to charge into the 18-yard box and settle the bouncing ball before putting in a lovely pass across the face of goal to De Ketelaere for a simple finish.
Belgium’s great start was followed by two unfortunate moments for the European side. First, Amadou Onana was subbed off after a muscular injury, and then USA had their first big moment of the night. Antonee Robinson and Malik Tillman both stood over the ball, but it was the midfielder who took the free kick. The well-hit strike deflected off the head of Vanaken, leaving Courtois motionless on his line.
It took less than two minutes for Belgium to regain their lead. Youri Tielemans found an unmarked Trossard on the left flank, who sent in a floating ball into the box. De Ketelaere got the better of Tim Ream, who was unable to aerially challenge the Belgian forward.
As the US attempted to find their way back into the match, a defensive blunder led to Belgium’s third goal of the night. Freese, perhaps unnecessarily, came off his line for a clearance, but the goalkeeper failed to hit his clearance first time. De Ketelaere applied some great pressure and was able to poke possession away. With Freese scrambling back, Vanaken found the loose ball and hit a long-range shot that skipped past a stretching Ream into the back of the net.
Another costly mistake led to Belgium’s fourth and final goal. Richards’ lackluster attempt to dribble out of the back was a failure, as he turned straight into a pressing Vanaken. The ball bounced straight into the path of Romelu Lukaku, who curled a low finish with his weak foot.
Belgium will now face Spain on Friday, July 10, in Los Angeles.
