Belgium routs US 4-1 in World Cup as Balogun dispute lingers
What's next: Belgium advanced to the quarterfinals, while scrutiny is shifting to FIFA's reversal of Folarin Balogun's ban.
Belgium knocked the United States out of the World Cup with a 4-1 round-of-16 win in Seattle on Monday, ending the hosts' run after a match overshadowed by a pregame eligibility dispute. Charles De Ketelaere scored in the ninth minute and again two minutes after Malik Tillman briefly leveled for the US. Hans Vanaken added a third before Romelu Lukaku scored in stoppage time. The buildup centered on Folarin Balogun, whose one-match ban after a red card against Bosnia and Herzegovina was overturned by FIFA, allowing him to play. Belgium challenged the decision, but FIFA rejected the protest as inadmissible, while UEFA called the ruling unprecedented and unjustifiable.