World Cup RECAP: Comedy of errors goal ends USA hopes

And that’s all for day 26 at the FIFA World Cup.

The United States was taken out by Belgium and Spain bested Portugal earlier this morning.

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And in one fell swoop, the round of 16 saw all three of the tournament co-hosts taken out.

Canada were beaten by Morocco in Houston, 3-0.

Mexico lost against 10-man England at the Azteca, 3-2.

And finally, the United States could not best Belgium in Seattle, losing 4-1.

Speaking on BBC Radio, South American football expert Tim Vickery admitted that coach Mauricio Pochettino “got it wrong” after the whole Florian Balogun saga.

The controversy seemed to lift Belgium and the USA seemed to wilt under the extra pressure.

“I think Mauricio Pochettino got it wrong tonight,” he said.

“I think the right thing to do would have been to leave Florian Balogun on the bench, not only because it is the right thing to do from a moral point of view, but it’s also the right thing to do from the view of coaching his team.

“You would diffuse the whole issue.”

Speaking after the game, coach Mauricio Pochettino said his team did not approach the game as they should have for a World Cup match.

“Everyone saw from the beginning that we did not connect with the game. We were never in the game. Even when we scored, we scored the goal for 1-1, we conceded in the next action. It was really tough from the beginning,” said Pochettino.

“I congratulate Belgium. They were better than us. It wasn’t our day. That is not to find excuses, because we didn’t show what this team normally can show. That is a reality.

“We need to learn. It’s a process. We need to assess this game and we need to see why we didn’t approach it in the same way as the rest of the World Cup.”

He also took responsibility for the loss to 4-1 loss to Belgium.

“Maybe the explanation is easy: it wasn’t our day, collectively or individually. Of course, the person with the most responsibility is myself,” he siad further.

“And yes, we need to see and check what we did, because it wasn’t the performance or the way that we normally play.”

Now, after Spain bundled out Portugal on Tuesday, Belgium will meet Spain in the quarter final clash.

That will be played in Los Angeles, on July 11 at 5am AEST.

And that’s the whistle.

Belgium 4 - United States 1 and that is the last co-host of the 2026 tournament out. The USA were well and truly outclassed by Belgium.

This has well and truly sent the United States packing.

In the 92nd minute, Romelu Lukaku makes it four for Belgium.

Telemundo’s Andres Cantor said that USA’s journey to the Round of 16 and potential exit from the 2026 tournament will be shrouded in controversy.

That comes from the Balogun saga where many have criticised the overturned result due to president Donald Trump’s involvement.

“Where before they’d been football’s pleasant surprise, admired for how they’d played, now they find much of the world against them - and, win or lose tonight, more will be said about the controversy than about how well they’d actually played to get here,” Cantor said.

In front of a sold-out crowd of 66,925, USA trails by two goals.

They’ll need nothing short of a miracle to make a comeback in Seattle.

United States 1 - Belgium 3

That is a mistake that Matt Freese will want to forget.

The USA are now fighting for their chance to stay in the tournament after Freese loses the ball and it leaves Hans Vanaken to side-foot into the unprotected net from nearly 30 metres, with Tim Ream unable to contort his body to keep the ball out.