[Anchor] The Belgian national football team, which defeated the United States in the Round of 16 of the North and Central America World Cup today (July 7), has publicly criticized the controversy surrounding President Trump's "presidential phone call intervention."

The match had drawn intense attention even before kickoff, following an unprecedented situation where a U.S. player, who had been sent off at the request of President Trump, had his suspension overturned.

Belgium secured a decisive 4-1 victory. Following the match, the Belgian national team's official social media account posted a photo of striker Romelu Lukaku's goal celebration with the caption, "Overturn this."

This was a direct jab at President Trump, who had pressured FIFA to reverse the suspension of the U.S. player. Lukaku, who came on as a substitute in the second half and scored the team's fourth goal in stoppage time to seal the win, also performed a celebration mimicking President Trump's signature dance moves.

In a post previewing the upcoming quarterfinal match against Spain, the Belgian team's account wrote, "The quarterfinals are calling," accompanied by a telephone emoji, appearing to mock President Trump's "phone call intervention" once again.

The Belgian players agreed that the controversy leading up to the match had only served to unite the team and provide extra motivation.

Captain Youri Tielemans told a local broadcaster, "As soon as we heard the news, we held a meeting," adding, "We told each other that we had to prove ourselves on the pitch."

Previously, during the Round of 32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina on July 2, U.S. star Folarin Balogun, who scored the winning goal, was shown a red card for stepping on an opponent's ankle in the second half.

However, FIFA later made the rare decision to suspend the enforcement of his ban for one year. The controversy grew after it was revealed that the decision followed a phone call from U.S. President Trump to FIFA President Gianni Infantino, requesting a review of the disciplinary action.

The U.S. national team started Balogun, who became eligible to play following the suspension's deferral, but they suffered a crushing defeat today.

Reported by Kim Jiuk | Video by Kim Hye-ju | Graphics by Lee Soo-min | Produced by SBS Digital News | Source: Belgian National Football Team SNS