The most united Belgium delivers the "loudest slap" to the United States! Four goals—should we also consider a delay in counting them?

Written by Han Bing. Authored by Han Bing. During the most unjust match in World Cup history, facing the host USA, which had been openly favored by FIFA, Belgium triumphed 4-1, securing a spot in the last eight with sheer dominance. The Belgian squad, often plagued by infighting and fluctuating performance, demonstrated remarkable unity after experiencing such unfairness, striking back powerfully against American hegemony's ignorance and arrogance, as well as FIFA's rule-breaking.

Belgium's victory was not just a Round of 16 win in the World Cup; it was a "battle for the bottom line" of fair play and sportsmanship. When American hegemony crudely interfered with football, as The Guardian noted, apart from the USA, Belgium had the support of fans worldwide—no one felt sad about the US team's elimination. Twelve years ago in the Brazil World Cup, the US lost to Belgium in the Round of 16; this time, with home-field advantage and the biased favoritism of American hegemony that crossed rule boundaries, the US lost even more decisively.

This otherwise ordinary World Cup Round of 16 match turned into a "righteous battle" to defend football's rule boundaries due to the "Balogun scandal." Before the match, Trump's crude intervention led Infantino to bow to American hegemony, granting a "reprieve" to US forward Balogun, who should have been suspended for a red card. This sparked fierce protests worldwide. The Belgian Football Association wrote to FIFA demanding an explanation, but FIFA dismissed it as an "appeal," further escalating tensions. Ironically, FIFA had just suspended Nepal's membership for government interference in football affairs, while Infantino himself, at Trump's request, immediately gave Balogun the "privilege" of a delayed suspension.

UEFA issued a statement defining the "Balogun scandal" as a "crossing the red line" act that undermines football rules. The EU Sports Commissioner stated that this was an entirely unacceptable case of political interference in football. Belgian Foreign Minister Prévot, a former football referee, publicly criticized the scandal for destroying the most basic rules of football, raising doubts about FIFA's ability to promote fair play. Belgian Prime Minister De Wever mocked the absurdity of the scandal on social media.

Additionally, Norway coach Solbakken, Italian FA President Malagò, and German football legend Matthäus also voiced strong criticism. English legend Carragher sarcastically said he hoped the US would win so the issue would escalate further, pushing for deeper changes in football. An Omani journalist even revealed that the "Balogun scandal" had cost Infantino his credibility; in the next FIFA election, some members of the AFC and CAF, which were Infantino's largest voting blocs, would no longer support him.

The Belgian team, which had previously shown signs of infighting, was inspired by the "Balogun scandal" to an unprecedented fighting spirit. Infantino sat in the VIP stand of the Seattle Stadium, and Balogun, who started for the US, together became the "motivation" for the Belgian players to give their all from the moment the referee blew the whistle.

Throughout the match, Belgium dominated in shots (15-7), shots on target (7-2), and big chances (4-0). Castagne's long-range shot early on forced a save from the US goalkeeper, setting the tone for challenging injustice. In the 9th minute, De Ketelaere scored after receiving a cross from Raskin, giving Belgium a dream start. In the 30th minute, "football's public enemy" Balogun won a free kick near the box, and Tillman scored directly from it to equalize. Balogun, who should not have been on the pitch, indirectly caused Belgium's goal, further fueling the Red Devils' fighting spirit. Just two minutes later, De Ketelaere scored a brace off a cross from Trossard. In the 57th minute, US goalkeeper Freese was dispossessed by De Ketelaere, who then assisted Fanaeken for an empty-net goal. In the 93rd minute, US defender Richards was also dispossessed, and substitute Lukaku sealed the 4-1 victory.

The Red Devils delivered a resounding slap in the face to both the US team and Infantino in the stands, in the most direct way possible.

This is Belgium's fourth appearance in the World Cup quarterfinals, the first being 40 years ago in Mexico, also in North America. It's also their third quarterfinal appearance in the last four World Cups. The 4-1 scoreline is Belgium's biggest win in a World Cup knockout match. Had Tielemans and Lukebakio not wasted chances, it could have been even bigger. Moreover, Belgium's defense was excellent, allowing the hosts only seven shots, the fewest for the US in a World Cup match since the 1994 game against Brazil.

After the big win, Belgium as a nation did not forget to mock the US team, which still suffered a humiliating defeat despite American hegemony's favoritism. Belgian coach Ruben Garcia said after the match: "We proved that Belgium is a great football nation." Tielemans remarked that Balogun's red card "reprieve" motivated the team, while Raskin emphasized that "there is always justice in life." De Ketelaere, who had two goals and an assist and was named man of the match, commented that Balogun was also present when Belgium beat the US 5-2 in a friendly in March, and his presence or absence didn't affect Belgium's performance much.

After the match, the Belgian men's national team social media account posted multiple times. One post emphasized that football is "FOOTBALL," not "soccer" as it's called only in the US. Another post showed a photo of Lukaku celebrating his stoppage-time goal with the caption: "Cancel this goal too." Belgian goalkeeper Courtois shared a black-and-white photo of himself blocking a shot from Balogun, with a red "X" to indicate his stance. The Telegraph journalist Ducker revealed that the Iranian FA spokesperson said: "The whole world is celebrating now; politics has suffered a shameful defeat in the face of football."

Belgian coach Rudi Garcia revealed that he spoke with Balogun after the match: "He came to talk to me. I told him it wasn't his fault, that he wasn't the one to blame. I really appreciate that he came to see me." However, before the match, when Trump explained his intervention in Balogun's red card reprieve, he claimed that if the US lost to Belgium, he would say the match was rigged. Therefore, Belgium's victory might still be only temporary. After the "Balogun scandal," one cannot accurately assess how low Trump and Infantino's standards can go.