Ahead of the round-of-16 tie against the USA, football's global governing body suspended the one-match ban imposed on US striker Folarin Balogun, which he got after receiving a red card for a foul on Bosnia-Herzegovina defender Tarik Muharemovic in the round of 32 victory. <\/p>\r\n\r\n
The ruling drew strong criticism from the Belgian Football Association, which issued statements expressing \"astonishment\" at the decision. European football governing body UEFA also condemned the ruling, saying it had \"crossed a red line\" and could have negative consequences for the game as a whole. It also emerged that US president Donald Trump had lobbied for Balogun\u2019s red card to be overturned. <\/p>\r\n\r\n
Following the win, the Belgian team's official social media account shared a savage message by posting \"Overturn this\" with pictures of wild celebrations.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Belgium\u2019s captain, Youri Tielemans, said the Balogun controversy had helped motivate his team. \"Let\u2019s be honest: we held a meeting when we heard the news. We told ourselves we needed to do our talking on the pitch. That\u2019s what we did today. I\u2019m very proud of the team,\" Tielemans said after the match.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Following the win, the Belgian team's official social media account shared a savage message by posting \"Overturn this\" with pictures of wild celebrations.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Belgium will lock horns with Spain, who eliminated Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal, at Los Angeles Stadium on July 11.<\/p>\r\n\r\n