"Louder than ever": Belgium fans rally for men's team ahead of FIFA WC RO16 clash against USA
Seattle, July 7
Belgium fans rallied for the national men's side ahead of their FIFA World Cup clash against co-hosts USA, scheduled for Monday.
Belgium, the 2018 bronze medalists, will be aiming to continue their deep run in the tournament, in quest of their maiden FIFA World Cup trophy for what has been called a 'Golden Generation' of Belgium for a long time. On the other hand, co-hosts USA will be aiming to enthral the home crowd by producing a fine performance and making it to the quarterfinals.
The official handle of Belgium Football on Instagram posted colourful visuals of fans cheering, playing drums and waving the country's flag ahead of the match.
Belgium started off their group stage on a tough note, with a 1-1 draw against Egypt and a goalless draw against Iran, before going all out to thrash New Zealand 5-1 in their final league stage match and punching a ticket to the round of 32. In the round of 32, they registered a comeback win over Senegal by 3-2 in a FIFA World Cup classic.
After Habib Diarra (24th minute) and Ismaila Sarr (51st minute) scored and another giant seemed to be on its way out, Romelu Lukaku (86th minute) and Youri Tielemans (89th minute) changed the course of the game, taking it to extra time.
Tielemans took the penalty after the VAR review awarded his team one for Lamine Camara's foul on Tielemans, sealing one of the tournament's most dramatic victories and rewriting the World Cup record books. His winning penalty in the 124th minute and 44th second broke the previous timeline records for late game-winners, becoming the latest goal ever scored in FIFA World Cup history.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Belgium's golden generation is truly something else. Lukaku and Tielemans showing their class when it mattered most. But honestly, I'm rooting for USA as co-hosts - their journey has been inspiring. Will be a cracking match! 🏆
The Belgium fans are really making some noise! Their passion is infectious. But India needs to learn from this - we have the population and talent, just need proper infrastructure and grassroots development. Hopefully one day we'll see Indian fans rallying like this for our team. 🇮🇳
Fair play to Belgium - that Senegal comeback was one for the ages. But I think USA's depth and home support might just edge them out. Expecting a 2-1 win for the hosts in a tightly contested match. USA! USA! 🇺🇸
You have to admire Belgium's resilience - from drawing against Egypt and Iran to thrashing New Zealand and then pulling off that incredible comeback. That's champion mentality right there. But co-hosts USA will be tough to beat. Whoever wins, football is the real winner here! ❤️
As an American watching this from abroad, I'm so proud of our team. But I have to admit Belgium's experience is a huge factor. The fans in Seattle will be electric though - can't wait for this match! Hoping for a clean, entertaining game without VAR controversies this time.
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