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Belgium burst into the American party in Seattle, advancing to the round of 16 with a 4-1 victory over the United States, putting on an offensive clinic that abruptly ended the World Cup co-hosts’ dreams.
The result marked the second time Belgium has eliminated the United States in the round of 16, the first time in Brazil in 2014.
FOX Sports soccer analysts Zlatan Ibrahimović and Thierry Henry offered mixed but candid reactions after the match. Ibrahimović, however, kept his assessment simple, saying that the United States was beaten by the better team and had gone as far as it could in the tournament.
“They played against a better team,” Ibrahimović said. “They are better than the United States when you look at the newspaper and the game. I think this was the worst game the United States had, but they faced a suitable opponent.”
Despite the loss, Ibrahimović also saw the tournament as a success for the United States. At the same time, he suggested that the loss served as a reality check of the program’s current situation.
“Today’s result is not good, but in the end I think it was good,” Ibrahimović said. “They did the most they could in this tournament. Yes, you can get lucky and you can go further, but I think it was a reality check for the United States.”
Henry, on the other hand, was disappointed with America’s performance.
While Belgium’s four goals were concerning, he was more critical of the Americans’ lack of attacking threat and their inability to maintain offensive tempo.
“I wanted to see a team that was different when they were down one to zero and couldn’t respond,” Henry said. “At the end of the day, the third goal changed everything because it seemed like they were going to come back.”
Despite playing at home, the United States suffered a brutal exit and Henry did not hold back. He delivered a sobering truth, making it clear that the team’s performance against Belgium virtually guaranteed elimination.
“When you think about going out like that, you’re not going anywhere,” Henry said.
