Belgium ended the United States' World Cup run with a 4-1 Round of 16 win at Lumen Field. Charles De Ketelaere scored twice in the first half, while Hans Vanaken and Romelu Lukaku added second-half goals after further USA defensive mistakes.
The co-hosts briefly recovered when Malik Tillman's deflected free-kick brought them level, but Belgium responded almost immediately through De Ketelaere's second. From there, the match tilted away from the USA, whose back line repeatedly failed to manage pressure in dangerous areas.
Matt Freese being caught outside his area led to Vanaken's goal, and a late mistake involving Chris Richards allowed Lukaku to finish the scoring. The result sends Belgium into a quarter-final meeting with Spain, while the USA exit after a night that raised questions about composure, intensity and preparation.
The build-up had included controversy around Folarin Balogun's rescinded red card, but that element should be handled carefully until independently verified. From the match evidence supplied, the clearer story is that Belgium were sharper in key moments and the USA paid heavily for avoidable errors.
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