Courtois: We Said We Had to Do Our Talking on the Pitch

Belgium's goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois, stated that his team faced a "lack of respect" in the USA over the past few days, while captain Youri Tielemans claimed the Balogun scandal provided the team with extra motivation. Last night, the "Red Devils" secured a convincing 4-1 victory over the hosts, eliminating them from the tournament. In the two days leading up to the clash, a major scandal erupted after FIFA effectively overturned a one-match ban for USA star Folarin Balogun following a direct red card. It later emerged that this decision was made after a call from US President Donald Trump to FIFA head Gianni Infantino.

“Let's be honest: we had a meeting when we heard the news. We told ourselves we had to do our talking on the pitch. That's what we did today. I am very proud of the team,” he said. Belgium will face Spain on Friday in Los Angeles for a spot in the semi-finals.