Last words and last dance.
All this while Romelu Lukaku made a beeline to the stands, cupping his ears, asking for a reaction from a hushed Seattle crowd. When no one came forward, the Belgians formed a circle on the pitch and began to dance. It soon became clear that the dance was less of a prank 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 given a fearful exit, it was Belgium’s turn to mock the Americans. He chose a dance Trump once performed at a rally — a dance that has since become a global meme, often used to portray the US president in a bad light.
‘Turn it around’, read Belgium Football’s social media accounts with a picture of Lukaku running towards the crowd. The final word will not go to the American people.
Afterwards, Belgium captain Youri Tielemans said the previous two days had prompted the team to call up.
“Let’s be honest: we had a meeting when we got the news,” Tielemans said after Monday’s game, referring to Folagin Balogun’s replacement for the match despite a red card in the previous game. “We told ourselves we needed to have our say on the pitch. That’s what we did today. I’m very proud of the team.”
Their coach Rudy Garcia was forgiving in his words for Balogun, who was thrown into the middle of the storm through no fault of his own. “He came to talk to me; I really like that. … It’s not his fault, he’s not to blame and that’s what I told him,” Garcia said after the match.
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Don’t lie the ball
There is a basketball slang that has made its way into everyday American speech and is now being used appropriately. ‘Don’t lie the ball’ essentially translates to sports karma. When referees or higher officials make bad calls, the game and the actors at the center of it are usually right, and the integrity of the game trumps the forces that try to manipulate it.
Football is no stranger to bad refereeing calls like any other sport, but rarely have we seen heads of state bully the game to give their teams an undue advantage. And losing in the fray was the real victory of the day – Belgium.
Garcia dropped Kevin De Bruyne but opted not to include super-sub Romelu Lukaku in the starting eleven. They took an even bolder call not to include Jeremy Doku.
The United States has been called the ‘Land of Opportunity’ – three words that are the foundation of the American Dream. Not only did Belgium win, but they did so by living up to the host nation’s ethos.
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Garcia admitted the final moment came at the end of their Round of 32 match against Senegal. Belgium’s golden generation will have to play a supporting role. Against the Americans, the young brigade led the way and the old guard ably supported the change in power.
Two of their four goals on the day came in the first half from Charles de Ketalere. It was a statement moment for the 25-year-old Atlanta striker. Struggling to score for his country, Lukaku’s late-game heroics threatened his place 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 required and Ketlare made a promise to the youth. He scored in the ninth minute and then helped Belgium regain the lead in the 33rd minute when the United States equalized on a free kick headed in by Malik Tillman.
Belgium’s third goal was scored by 33-year-old substitute and Club Brugge midfielder Hans Vanaken in the 57th minute. And then the stage opened for Lukaku.
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As much as Lukaku’s football is mentioned in his background. The son of Congolese immigrants who struggled to make ends meet in Belgium, stories from his youth — his mother mixing water with milk, other children’s parents asking for his ID because of his rapid growth at a young age — showed how strong and resilient he wanted to be as a teenager.
Lukaku is Belgium’s most forward-thinking, politically-aware sporting product. He has previously called on social media CEOs to sit down and come up with a plan to combat racism directed at players. He has called for diversity in the leadership positions of the game. He recently spoke about the violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Through all his efforts to change the world around him, the word that keeps coming back to him is – stick to football.
Lukaku let his football do the talking on Tuesday. With the USA trailing by two goals and desperate, his weaker leg fired a shot in the third minute of injury time. The USA was already down; Lukaku pushed them out. And then he spoke his talk, and danced his dance.