Seattle [US], July 7 : Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois said his side responded emphatically after feeling "shown a lack of respect" in the United States, following the Red Devils' 4-1 victory over the hosts in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16.
Speaking to Belgian broadcaster Sporza after the match, as quoted by The Athletic, Courtois said Belgium had answered those who believed the United States would comfortably defeat them.
"In recent days, we have been shown a lack of respect here in the U.S. It was said that they could beat us easily, but I think today we proved that we are a good team. We played a great match," Courtois said, as quoted by the Athletic.
The Belgian goalkeeper also commented on the controversy surrounding United States forward Folarin Balogun, whose one-match suspension was lifted by FIFA ahead of the Round of 16 encounter, allowing him to feature against Belgium.
"Everything beforehand did not necessarily play a part. I read it and laughed about it. Today, if I'm honest, I felt a bit more certain that we would win than I did against Senegal. They were a stronger team than the U.S., and that showed today as well," he told Belgian broadcaster Sporza after the match as quoted by The Athletic.
Coming to the match, Belgium stormed into the quarter-finals of the FIFA World Cup 2026 with a commanding 4-1 victory over the hosts, the United States, at Seattle Stadium.
Charles De Ketelaere starred with a brace to earn the Player of the Match award, while Hans Vanaken scored his first-ever FIFA World Cup goal and substitute Romelu Lukaku added a stoppage-time strike, marking his third consecutive World Cup match with a goal.
Belgium dominated much of the contest despite the USA briefly equalising through Malik Tillman's deflected free-kick. A costly goalkeeping error by Matt Freese allowed Belgium to extend their lead before Lukaku sealed the emphatic win late on.
The defeat ended the United States' campaign, making them the last of the three co-host nations to exit the tournament after Canada and Mexico. Belgium will next face Spain in the quarter-finals on July 10 after the Spanish side knocked out Portugal in the Round of 16.