Belgium boss Rudi Garcia struck a conciliatory tone after his side’s 4-1 victory over the United States, insisting that Folarin Balogun should not be blamed for the controversy surrounding his eligibility and revealing that the American striker personally approached him after the final whistle.Balogun’s participation dominated the build-up to the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 clash after FIFA suspended the enforcement of his one-match ban, allowing him to feature in Belgium despite being sent off against Bosnia and Herzegovina. The decision has sparked widespread criticism across the football world, with Belgium’s football federation questioning the move and several leading figures raising concerns about the precedent it sets.However, Garcia clarified that his disappointment did not go to the player.“Balogun came to talk to me, I like that. It’s not his fault, he’s not to blame. I told him. I appreciate that he came to talk to me,” Garcia said, as quoted by The Athletic.
Belgium remains focused despite the noise outside
Garcia also rejected suggestions that the Balogun controversy has given his players more motivation, stressing that Belgium’s focus remains on implementing their tactical plan.“It is not necessary or necessary (in terms of motivation). What is very important to us is our game plan. We want to be prominent; the US team is dynamic and full of energy. We do not need Kevin (De Bruyne), we have scored goals,” he said.Belgium backed up those words with a dominant performance in Seattle. Charles De Ketelaere scored a brace to claim the Player of the Match award, Hans Vanaken scored his maiden FIFA World Cup goal and substitute Romelu Lukaku added a stoppage-time strike to seal the comprehensive victory.The Americans briefly leveled through Malik Tillman’s deflected free-kick before the defense failed and a costly error from goalkeeper Matt Freese allowed Belgium to break away.
Praise for Belgium, concern for Onana
While celebrating the qualification for the quarter-finals, Garcia also took time to thank the Belgian supporters who stayed up all night to watch the match.“I think it’s 4am in Belgium today. To everyone who got up in the middle of the night to support us, I want to thank you. They should be happy and proud of their players today. We have shown that Belgium is a good football country. The players were fantastic and followed the game plan perfectly. We were in control the whole game. Again, it was a real team effort,” Garcia said.The Belgian coach admitted that there was a big concern despite the tight victory.“A big disappointment, a dark cloud above tonight, is the injury of Amadou Onana. We owe it to him to continue in the second half, win the match and qualify for the quarter-finals,” he added.Belgium will now face Spain in the quarter-finals on July 10.