Folarin Balogun made the pre-game headlines, but Arsenal’s Leandro Trossard provided another vital contribution as Belgium smashed the USA to reach the World Cup quarter-finals on Monday.
The pre-match buildup to Belgium’s World Cup last-16 tie against the USA was dominated by a raging debate around Folarin Balogun’s eligibility to feature in the match.
Balogun had been sent off in the USA’s last game, but FIFA took the unprecedented decision to allow him to play the next one anyway. The red card wasn’t overturned, the ban was simply suspended, with no public explanation provided.
Belgium were furious (and they weren’t the only ones), but they ultimately had no choice but to play the match. The sense of injustice was palpable, and the team raced out of the blocks and into a 1-0 lead within 10 minutes.
Yet after Malik Tillman’s deflected free-kick levelled things up just after the half hour mark, the game reached a pivotal moment.
Would Belgium shrink back into the shell that had seen them fall behind 2-0 against Senegal, or show the kind of fight that had allowed them to come back and win that match 3-2?
Thankfully, Arsenal’s Leandro Trossard was on hand to set up Belgium’s second goal, just as in that Senegal match. The winger got away from his man and floated in a cross for Charles De Ketelaere to head home for 2-1, just two minutes after the United States equaliser.
The match slowly but surely began to slip away from the hosts, with Hans Vanaken doubling Belgium’s lead in the 57 minute, and Romelu Lukaku making sure of the win by making it 4-1 in injury time.
Belgium will now face Spain in the next round, and if they’re going to continue to progress against one of the tournament favourites, they’ll need Trossard to be on song once again.
The 31-year-old now has five goals or assists in his last three games at the World Cup, and he may not be done yet.
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