Belgium take swipe at USA after World Cup defeat

After Belgium's all-time leading scorer, Romelu Lukaku, netted the fourth goal to condemn the United States to a 4-1 defeat in Seattle on Tuesday morning, the official Instagram account of the Belgium national team appeared to mock the Americans by posting a picture of the striker cupping his ear with the caption: "Overturn this."

On Sunday, FIFA suspended the automatic one-match ban for 12 months, a decision that sparked widespread criticism, with UEFA and Belgium among those speaking out against the ruling.

On Monday, US President Donald Trump said he had asked FIFA to review Folarin Balogun's ban, arguing that enforcing it would have left a "big stain" on the tournament.

Belgium midfielder Nicolas Raskin said his team felt a "sense of injustice" after FIFA suspended United States striker Folarin Balogun's one-match ban shortly before their World Cup Round of 16 clash.

However, despite the American striker being cleared to play and starting the match, Belgium convincingly defeated the tournament co-hosts 4-1

"A lot has happened off the pitch over the last two days," said Belgium and Rangers midfielder Raskin.

"There was a sense of injustice within the squad, and we were determined to respond on the field."

Belgium captain Youri Tielemans said the controversy had motivated his side.

"We told ourselves we had to respond on the pitch. That's what we did," he said.

After Belgium scored their fourth goal, several of their players were seen celebrating with a dance resembling the "Trump dance"—a move in which he rocks his hips while slowly pumping his arms, which gained notoriety during the 2024 US presidential campaign.