FIFA World Cup 2026: "Overturn this" Belgium mocks USA after booking last-eight spot
Seattle, July 7
Belgium's national football team celebrated its commanding 4-1 victory over hosts the United States in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 with a pair of tongue-in-cheek social media posts that quickly caught the attention of football fans.
Following the win, the Belgian Red Devils shared an Instagram Story with the caption, "Overturn this," appearing to mock the hosts after securing a convincing victory to book their place in the quarter-finals.
The team also took to X with another playful jab at the long-running "football" versus "soccer" debate in the United States.
"It"s called soccer FOOTBALL," the Belgian Red Devils wrote.
FIFA had earlier dismissed Belgium's challenge over the eligibility of Folarin Balogun after world football's governing body suspended the United States forward's one-match ban ahead of the FIFA World Cup Round of 16 clash between the two sides. Balogun was shown a red card in the 64th minute of the United States' 2-0 Round of 32 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Coming to the match, Belgium stormed into the quarter-finals of the FIFA World Cup 2026 with a commanding 4-1 victory over the hosts, the United States, at Seattle Stadium.
Charles De Ketelaere starred with a brace to earn the Player of the Match award, while Hans Vanaken scored his first-ever FIFA World Cup goal and substitute Romelu Lukaku added a stoppage-time strike, marking his third consecutive World Cup match with a goal.
Belgium dominated much of the contest despite the USA briefly equalising through Malik Tillman's deflected free-kick. A costly goalkeeping error by Matt Freese allowed Belgium to extend their lead before Lukaku sealed the emphatic win late on.
The defeat ended the United States' campaign, making them the last of the three co-host nations to exit the tournament after Canada and Mexico. Belgium will next face Spain in the quarter-finals on July 10 after the Spanish side knocked out Portugal in the Round of 16.
— ANI
Reader Comments
As someone who loves both cricket and football, I find the "soccer vs football" debate hilarious 😂. But honestly, Belgium's response to FIFA over the Balogun suspension is pure gold. They let their football do the talking. That 4-1 scoreline says it all.
Matt Freese's mistake was a heartbreaker for the home fans. But credit to Belgium – they were relentless. Charles De Ketelaere is going to be a star for years. And Romelu Lukaku with his third consecutive World Cup match goal? Legendary 🏆
The "overturn this" post was very cheeky but well-deserved after the Balogun controversy. Reminds me of how India responds to umpiring howlers in cricket. That said, USA fought well – Tillman's equaliser was brilliant. But Belgium's quality shone through. Spain will be a different test for them.
What a match! Belgium's midfield control was the difference. Hans Vanaken scoring his first World Cup goal at 33 years old – inspiring stuff. And Lukaku coming off the bench to score? The man is a machine. Can't wait for the Spain clash. This World Cup is getting interesting for us Indian fans!
As an American living in Bangalore, it's painful but fair play to Belgium. "Overturn this" was harsh but funny. The soccer vs football banter is eternal 😅. We had a good run, but Belgium just had that extra quality. Hope the USMNT learns from this.
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