Belgium defeated the United States 4-1 in the Round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup 26 held on July 7 (KST), led by a multi-goal performance from Charles De Ketelaere and additional goals from Hans Vanaken and Romelu Lukaku.

The U.S. started Folarin Balogun, who became eligible to play following a stay of execution on his FIFA suspension, but the team collapsed after a series of errors, including a mistake by the goalkeeper in the second half.

After the match, Belgian players pointed out that the decision regarding Balogun was unfair. Manager Rudi Garcia emphasized that, regardless of the suspension controversy, there was no fault on the part of Balogun himself.

While a single phone call may have halted the enforcement of the suspension, it could not overturn the result of the match.

Sports Mug brings you the story behind the match, which began with the Balogun suspension controversy and ended with a dominant 4-1 victory for Belgium.

(Written and Edited by Jinhyeong Park | Produced by Sports News Department)