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Romelu Lukaku etched his name FIFA World Cup history as Belgium cruised into the quarter-finals with a convincing 4-1 win over the United States, becoming the first player to score as a substitute in four different World Cup games.The prolific striker came off the bench late in the second half and needed just one strike to make his mark, scoring Belgium’s fourth goal in stoppage time for another ruthless spell. It also extended a stunning run of efficiency for the veteran striker, who has now scored with his only strike in each of his last three World Cup appearances — against New Zealand, Senegal and now the United States.While Charles De Ketelaere stole the headlines with two goals and an assist, Lukaku’s late strike secured his place in the tournament record books as Belgium set up a blockbuster quarter-final clash against Spain.Romelu Lukaku in his last three World Cup games
- vs. New Zealand: 1 shot, 1 goal
- against Senegal: 1 shot, 1 goal
- vs. USA: 1 shot, 1 goal
Belgium punishes defensive mistakes
The United States went into the knockout clash boosted by the availability of Folarin Balogun after FIFA controversially overturned his one-match suspension, but Mauricio Pochettino’s side never recovered from a series of costly defensive errors.Belgium took the lead in the eighth minute when De Ketelaere finished off a move before Malik Tillman briefly restored parity with a superb free-kick in the 31st minute.The celebration lasted barely a minute. Just 61 seconds into the restart, De Ketelaere headed Belgium back in front before teeing up Hans Vanaken, whose effort followed a costly mistake by goalkeeper Matt Freese early in the second half.Lukaku, brought on in the 67th minute, completed the rout in stoppage time after Chris Richards surrendered possession, calmly finishing for his 93rd international goal.
Pochettino regrets the missed opportunity
The defeat ended another promising World Cup campaign for the co-hosts, who again crashed out in the last 16 hurdles.“Everybody saw from the beginning that we weren’t connected to the game,” U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino said after the game. “It’s a learning process. We have to evaluate that game and we have to see why we didn’t approach the game the same way (we approached) the rest of the World Cup.”The loss also continued an unwanted trend for the Americans. The USA have now been eliminated in the Round of 16 in six of their seven appearances at that stage of the FIFA World Cup, including each of their last four knockout appearances.Belgium, meanwhile, extended their unbeaten run to 18 games and advanced to the quarter-finals against 2010 champions Spain.For Lukaku, however, the night belonged to history. One substitution, one strike and one goal was all it took for him to become the first player to score as a substitute in four different FIFA World Cup appearances, underlining yet again why he remains one of the most devastating players in international football.
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