Belgium 2 USA 1 (after extra-time, 0-0 after 90 mins)
Another dramatic night ended in extra-time with goals by Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku giving Belgium a place in the quarter-finals and sending USA home, despite Julian Green's late consolation.
Tim Howard had one of the games of his life to take the USA's round-of-16 tie against Belgium into extra time, producing a string of saves to keep the game scoreless including one from Vincent Kompany at the end when the Manchester City captain looked certain to score. Kompany was in a good position from Eden Hazard's cross, yet his attempt in the end was a tired one.
Belgium had spent most of the 90 minutes running into a brick wall and by the end it was taking its toll. Almost unbelievably, Chris Wondolowski had a chance right at the death to steal the most unlikely of American victories, only to miss from six yards when set up by Jermaine Jones.
Marc Wilmots did what everyone had been encouraging him to do and started with the teenaged Divock Origi, who brought a save from Howard as early as the first minute. Origi should perhaps have done better when released clear on goal by an astute pass from De Bruyne – he kept his shot on target but saw the goalkeeper save with his legs.
Geoff Cameron was booked for what could only be described as a Stoke City challenge on Dries Mertens, before Jan Vertonghen rather needlessly conceded a corner and after a brief period of USA attacking Clint Dempsey brought a save from Thibaut Courtois.
Vertonghen's next intervention was better, carrying the ball confidently across the half-way line and finding space for De Bruyne, who stepped around Omar Gonzalez neatly enough only to put his shot wide. Without anyone in particular to look after on the Belgian left Vertonghen was able to get forward to good effect, and one ball played across goal for Marouane Fellaini had to be blocked on the goalline by DaMarcus Beasley.
Jürgen Klinsmann was forced into a change on the half hour when Fabian Johnson pulled up with a hamstring injury and had to be replaced by DeAndre Yedlin. The substitute made a surging run down the right on one of his first forward forays and cut back a low cross that fell to Graham Zusi near the penalty spot, where the midfielder managed only a wild swing and an air shot.
By the time Yedlin had juggled a bouncing ball on the edge of the area after a corner and sent a lob forward for Dempsey that Courtois had to leave his line quickly to punch away, it was tempting to wonder why Klinsmann had not had him on from the start.
Origi was not in the game much after a couple of early hints of promise, but more worrying for Belgium was the fact that Eden Hazard was also a peripheral figure. When the Chelsea player did receive the ball he generally looked to bring it inside and make space for a shot, a threat that the Americans seemed aware of from the number of defenders they kept putting in his way.
A De Bruyne effort from distance brought another save from Howard on the stroke of the interval in what amounted to an isolated Belgium attack. When the game began it looked as though they could get forward as they pleased, yet by half-time the USA would haver been just as pleased at the number of openings and opportunities created.
Howard was in action again at the start of the second half, acrobatically arching backwards to tip over a goalbound header from Mertens from De Bruyne's cross. Fellaini shrugged off a couple of would-be tackles in muscular style before becoming over-confident and sending a shot well wide, then a great cross from the left by Vertonghen was missed in turn by De Bruyne, Matt Besler and Origi, the last ending up in the net without the ball.
Belgium were playing a more patient passing game now and when Origi hit the bar with a header from Mertens’s diagonal cross it began to look unlikely that the USA would be able to hold out. Using the width of the pitch and eventually finding Hazard on the left, Origi was played into the area to cross for Mertens to poke a shot the wrong side of a post from close range.
For the most part the USA were content to let Belgium have the ball and move it around, trusting in keeping their shape and getting enough players behind the ball to frustrate their opponents' somewhat ponderous attacks, though playing most of the game in front of their own goal was a risky strategy as Axel Witsel proved with a snap shot from the edge of the area that only missed by a couple of feet.
Dempsey showed willing with a shot from the edge of the area of his own that Courtois saved, before Howard saved from Origi after a typically direct Kevin Mirallas run was halted.
Again, Origi could have been more clinical with a clear opportunity, and the temptation to bring Romelu Lukaku on from the bench could only have grown when Mirallas failed to beat Howard in a one on one.
While the goalkeeper was having a great night, some of the Belgian finishing was not of the highest quality. Howard made another heroic stop to deny Hazard as the game moved into the last 10 minutes of normal time, before Besler took a turn and put his body in the way of a shot from Daniel van Buyten.
BELGIUM: 1 Thibaut Courtois; 2 Toby Alderweireld, 15 Daniel Van Buyten, 4 Vincent Kompany, 5 Jan Vertonghen; 6 Axel Witsel, 7 Kevin De Bruyne, 8 Marouane Fellaini; 14 Dries Mertens (11 Kevin Mirallas, 60 mins), 17 Divock Origi (9 Romelu Lukaku, 90), 10 Eden Hazard (22 Nacer Chadli, 111 mins). Yellow card: Kompany.
USA: 1 Tim Howard; 23 Fabian Johnson (2 DeAndre Yedlin, 32 mins), 3 Omar Gonzalez, 5 Matt Besler , 7 DaMarcus Beasley; 19 Graham Zusi (18 Chris Wondolowski, 72 mins), 13 Jermaine Jones, 20 Geoff Cameron, 4 Michael Bradley; 8 Clint Dempsey, 11 Alejandro Bedoya (16 Julian Green, 105 mins). Yelllow card: Cameron.
(Guardian Service)
