We have punished the disrespect

Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois claimed that his side ‘punished the disrespect’ by knocking the USA out of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Ahead of the clash between the two sides in the Round of 16,There was a massive controversy surrounding USMNT forward Folarin Balogun’s eligibility to feature. The 25-year-old was sent off in his nation’s 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32; his suspension, however, was deferred for a year after US President Donald Trump spoke personally to FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

The decision sparked a massive debate online and prompted the Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) to launch an appeal. Their claim was immediately denied by FIFA and Balogun was allowed to play the game.

The Red Devils were clearly fired up by the apparently ‘unjust’ decision. After Malik Tillman’s deflected free-kick (31′) cancelled out Charles De Ketelaere’s opener (7′), Rudi Garcia’s side took control of the game.

De Ketelaere’s second goal of the night (33′) and goals from Hans Vanaken (57′) and Romelu Lukaku (90+3′) secured a comfortable 4-1 win for Belgium. After the game, Courtois spoke to reporters and claimed that he was confident in his side’s ability to win the game despite the pre-game controversy.

The 34-year-old said (via @MadridXtra on X):

“We have PUNISHED the DISRESPECT that the Americans have shown us in the last few days. I was WAY MORE confident that we’d beat USA than I was of beating Senegal, simply because Senegal are a MUCH better team than the USA.”

Courtois has played every minute of Belgium‘s five games at the 2026 FIFA World Cup thus far, keeping one clean sheet in the process.

“There’s always justice” – Belgium star Nicolas Raskin makes claim after knocking the USA out of 2026 FIFA World Cup

Belgium star Nicolas Raskin claimed that there was a sense of ‘justice’ in his side’s 4-1 win over the USMNT in the Round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Raskin played an important role in his side’s thumping victory. He set Charles De Ketelaere up for the opening goal of the night, completed 37 of his 45 passes (82%), won seven of his 14 duels (50%), made four tackles and recovered the ball five times (stats via FotMob).

After the full-time whistle, Raskin delivered his opinion on the biggest talking point ahead of the game – the postponement of USMNT forward Folarin Balogun’s red card suspension. Speaking to reporters, the 25-year-old said (via Hayters):

“Like I said, I think there’s always a justice somewhere in life and the fact that something can happen like that, you can call it what you want, but we don’t think that (Balogun being allowed to play) was fair. And today, I think it just brings us a little bit of luck.”

Up next, Belgium will lock horns against Spain in the quarter-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup (Friday, July 10).

Edited by Aaryan Nagraj