In a friendly match, a clinical performance in the second half allowed Belgium to defeat the United States 5-2.
The United States, unbeaten in their last five World Cup FIFA preparation matches this summer (4 wins, 1 draw), faced a Belgian selection full of stars. Despite the Belgian team having the first clear opportunity, Alexis Saelemaekers missed the target when ideally positioned in the box.
After a shaky start, the USA gradually found their rhythm and could have taken the lead, but Weston McKennie’s close-range effort was brilliantly saved by Senne Lammens.
Belgium, known for scoring at least three goals in six of their last nine matches, continued to pose a threat in the final third. Saelemaekers had his shot saved by Matt Turner before Charles De Ketelaere had a goal disallowed for a handball in the build-up.
The Stars and Stripes opened the scoring shortly after, with McKennie left unmarked in the six-yard box to convert a corner from Antonee Robinson.
Belgium responded just before halftime with Zeno Debast scoring his first international goal with a superb long-range finish beyond Turner’s reach.
The game continued to see twists and turns at the start of the second half, with Christian Pulisic surprisingly missing the target from 12 yards out.
Belgium punished the hosts immediately for the missed opportunity, as Saelemaekers provided a clever cut-back pass for Amadou Onana to calmly finish.
Belgium sought to extend their lead, and after Jeremy Doku’s dangerous attempt was saved by Turner, the visitors were awarded a penalty for a handball by Tim Ream. De Ketelaere converted the penalty, sending Turner the wrong way to increase the lead for the Red Devils.
Taking advantage of the momentum, Rudi Garcia made several changes among his key players as the game approached the final half-hour.
Among the substitutes, Dodi Lukebakio stood out in the 68th minute by cutting in from the right side of the box and unleashing a splendid strike into the top corner.
In the closing stages, Mauricio Pochettino’s team tried to avoid a heavy defeat, but Belgium remained ruthless in front of goal, adding a fifth goal when Lukebakio capitalized on a loose ball to beat Turner.
A late goal from Patrick Agyemang, taking advantage of a huge error from Youri Tielemans, allowed the hosts to salvage some pride. However, it was a challenging evening for the Stars and Stripes.
