After Folarin Balogun fracas, how Belgium did their talking on the pitch vs USA

The final say, and a last dance.

Romelu Lukaku had it all as he made a beeline to the stands, cupping his ear, asking the silenced Seattle crowd for a reaction. When none came forth, the Belgians formed a circle on the pitch and started to dance. Soon it became evident that it was less of a dance, and more of an attempt to mock the President of the United States.

Now that Donald Trump’s powerplay didn’t have the desired effect and the co-hosts were handed a timid exit, it was Belgium’s turn to mock the Americans. They chose the dance that Trump once did at a rally – a dance that has since then become a global meme, often used to denote the American president in poor light.

‘Overturn this’, read Belgium football’s social media accounts with a picture of Lukaku running towards the crowd. The final word would not go to the Americans.

Afterwards, Belgian captain Youri Tielemans said that the previous two days had prompted the team to convene.

“Let’s be honest: we held a meeting when we heard the news,” Tielemans said after Monday’s game, referring to Folagin Balogun’s reinstatement for the match despite the red card in the previous match. “We told ourselves we needed to do our talking on the pitch. That’s what we did today. I’m very proud of the team.”

Their coach Rudi Garcia was forgiving in his words for Balogun, who, through no fault of his own, was dropped into the middle of the storm. “He came to talk to me; I really like that. … It’s not his fault, he’s not the one to blame and that’s what I told him,” Garcia said after the match.

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Ball don’t lie

There is a slang in basketball that has transcended to everyday American-speak and now finds appropriate use. ‘Ball don’t lie’ essentially translates to sporting karma. That when a referee or a higher authority makes a poor call, the sport and the actors in the middle of it usually course-correct, and that the purity of the sport trumps the forces that attempt to manipulate it.

Football is no stranger to poor refereeing calls, just like every other sport, but it has rarely seen state heads bullying the sport to give their teams an undue benefit. And lost in the fracas was the true triumph of the day – Belgium.

Garcia dropped Kevin de Bruyne but also chose not to put super-sub Romelu Lukaku in their starting eleven. They took an even braver call to not include Jeremy Doku.

The United States is billed as the ‘Land of opportunity’ – three words that are the foundation of the American dream. Belgium didn’t just win, they did so by living up to the very ethos of the host country.

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Garcia acknowledged the seminal moment that arrived towards the end of their Round of 32 game against Senegal. Belgium’s golden generation would have to be the supporting act. Against the Americans, the young brigade led the way, and the old guard supported the shift in power ably.

Of their four goals on the day, two came from Charles de Ketalaere in the first half. It was a statement moment for the 25-year-old Atalanta striker. Struggling for goals for his country, Lukaku’s late-game heroics were threatening his spot in the starting eleven.

Eight of Belgium’s 13 goals at the World Cup so far have come after the 60th minute. A strong statement of intent was needed and Ketalaere delivered on the promise of youth. He scored in the ninth minute and then helped Belgium take the lead again in the 33rd after the United States had equalised from a deflected freekick guided in by Malik Tillman.

Belgium’s third goal came from 33-year-old substitute and long-time Club Brugge attacking midfielder Hans Vanaken in the 57th minute. And then the stage opened for Lukaku.

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Lukaku’s football gets as much mention as his background. Son of Congolese immigrants who struggled to make ends meet in Belgium, tales of his youth – his mother mixing water with milk, parents of other children asking for his ID because of his accelerated growth spurt at a young age – showed just how strong and resilient he had to become well within his teenage years.

Lukaku has been Belgium’s most forward-thinking, politically- conscious sporting product. He has, in the past, called for social media CEOs to sit together and formulate plans to combat racism directed at sportspersons. He has called for diversity in sports’ leadership positions. He recently talked about violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo. All through his efforts to change the world around him, the word coming back to him would be the same – stick to football.

On Tuesday, Lukaku let his football speak. At a moment when the USA were down by two goals and desperate, the towering Belgian smacked a shot from his weaker foot in the third minute of injury time. The USA were already down; Lukaku pushed them out. And then he talked his talk, and danced his dance.