A Croatian commentator is going viral for a comment made right after the USA vs Belgium game.
Belgium moved on to the World Cup quarter-finals with an impressive 4-1 win over co-hosts USA, and a Croatian journalist’s comments after the game quickly caught people’s attention.
Rudi Garcia’s team played really well at Lumen Field in Seattle, with Charles De Ketelaere scoring twice and goals from Hans Vanaken and Romelu Lukaku helping them reach the quarter-finals for the fourth time ever.
On the other hand, the USA missed their chance to reach the last eight for the first time in 24 years, as Mauricio Pochettino’s team was clearly outplayed by the Red Devils. For many, this result felt like a fair outcome.
Before the match, FIFA made headlines by suspending Florian Balogun’s one-match ban for a year. Balogun had accidentally hit Tarik Muharemovic with his studs in the previous round against Bosnia and Herzegovina. FIFA used Article 27 of their Disciplinary Code to postpone the penalty.
Belgium’s football association was shocked and upset by FIFA’s decision, calling it “astonishing” in a statement.
Interestingly, former US President Donald Trump was involved in this situation. He revealed he reached out to FIFA’s president, Gianni Infantino, asking for the red card to be reviewed. Trump even claimed in a White House speech that he was “the one that got them to do it,” which didn’t sit well with many football fans, especially since the match result felt like a bit of karma.
Balogun’s performance in the game was disappointing, and he was taken off in the first minute of added time. After Lukaku scored Belgium’s fourth goal, the team did a dance that seemed to mimic Trump’s signature move, adding a bit of cheeky fun to their win.
For anyone curious, the Trump dance is a celebration inspired by the former president dancing to the song “Y.M.C.A.” by the Village People.
That wasn’t the only time Trump was mocked; a Croatian commentator joked about the White House calling Infantino before the game, saying, “Belgium have won, but let’s wait, maybe tomorrow morning when we wake up, a call from the White House comes in.”
Many feel justice was served with Belgium’s big win, and now they face a tough quarter-final against Spain, one of the tournament favorites, on Friday night.
The Red Devils hope to reach the World Cup semi-finals for only the second time ever, after their run in 2018. Winning the whole tournament would be an amazing way for stars like Kevin De Bruyne, Thibaut Courtois, and Lukaku to finish their World Cup careers.