Romelu Lukaku etched his name FIFA World Cup history as Belgium stormed into the quarter-finals with a commanding 4-1 victory 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 shot to make his mark, firing home Belgium’s fourth goal in stoppage time to cap off another ruthless cameo. It also extended a wonderful run of efficiency for the veteran forward, 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 ensured he entered the tournament’s record books as Belgium set up a blockbuster quarter-final clash against Spain.Romelu Lukaku in his last three World Cup games
- against New Zealand: 1 shot, 1 goal
- vs. 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 lifted his one-match ban, but Mauricio Pochettino’s side never recovered from a series of costly defensive mistakes.Belgium took the lead in the eighth minute when De Ketelaere finished a fluid move before Malik Tillman briefly restored parity with a superb free-kick in the 31st minute.The celebrations lasted barely a minute. Just 61 seconds after the restart, De Ketelaere headed Belgium in front before turning a provider for Hans Vanaken, whose effort followed a costly error by goalkeeper Matt Freese early in the second half.Lukaku, introduced in the 67th minute, completed the rout in stoppage time after Chris Richards gave up possession, finishing calmly for his 93rd international goal.
Pochettino misses the opportunity
The defeat ended another promising World Cup campaign for the co-hosts, who again fell at the last-16 hurdle.“Everyone saw from the start that we didn’t connect with the game,” United States coach Mauricio Pochettino said after the match. “It’s a learning process. We need to evaluate that game and we need to see why we didn’t approach the game in the same way that (we approached) the rest of the World Cup.”The defeat also widened an undesirable trend for the Americans. The United States have 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 KO appearances.Meanwhile, Belgium extended their unbeaten run to 18 matches and advanced to face 2010 champions Spain in the quarter-finals.For Lukaku, however, the night belongs to history. A substitute appearance, a strike and a goal was all he needed to become the first player to score as a substitute in four different FIFA World Cup matches, underlining once again why he remains one of international football’s most devastating players.