Brazil 2014 | Last 16 Arena Fonte Nova, Salvador Attendance: 51,227 Belgium goals: Kevin De Bruyne (93), Romelu Lukaku (105) USA goal: Julian Green (107)
Coach: Marc Wilmots. Starting XI: Thibaut Courtois; Toby Alderweireld, Daniel van Buyten, Vincent Kompany, Jan Vertonghen; Axel Witsel, Marouane Fellaini; Dries Mertens, Kevin De Bruyne, Eden Hazard; Divock Origi. Substitutions: Kevin Mirallas for Mertens (60), Romelu Lukaku for Origi (91), Nacer Chadli for Hazard (111).
Coach: Jurgen Klinsmann. Starting XI: Tim Howard; Fabian Johnson, Omar Gonzalez, Matt Besler, DaMarcus Beasley; Geoff Cameron, Graham Zusi, Jermaine Jones, Michael Bradley, Alejandro Bedoya; Clint Dempsey. Substitutions: DeAndre Yedlin for Johnson (32), Chris Wondolowski for Zusi (72), Julian Green for Bedoya (105+2).
4 Belgium wins 1 USA win 0 draws
Belgium won all three Group H games to canter through. USA unexpectedly escaped the group of death, pipping Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal to second place behind Germany. Steven Defour was banned for Belgium. Injury ruled out Anthony Vanden Borre and Thomas Vermaelen, but Kompany overcame a groin problem. Wilmots omitted the underperforming Lukaku and handed a first start of the tournament to 19-year-old Origi. Klinsmann opted to drop Kyle Beckerman and Brad Davis for Cameron and Bedoya. The German declared that “we have no fear at all.” The prize was a quarter-final against Lionel Messi and Argentina.
Just thirty-eight seconds were on the Salvador scoreboard when Origi forced Howard into a fine save. The theme persisted for 90 minutes, the Belgian ballers decrypting the Americans before being frustrated by the left hand, right fingertips, legs, knees, chest, feet and even studs of the New Jerseyan. USA almost clocked Belgium with the ultimate sucker punch. Deep into stoppage time, Jones cannily headed the ball into the path of substitute Wondolowski, who miscued from only yards out, leaving an exasperated Klinsmann with his head in his hands.
Lukaku, on for Origi, made a colossal difference in extra time. First, he shook off Besler down the right and crossed low. Gonzalez got a touch, but De Bruyne collected the loose ball, side-stepped Besler and expertly arrowed it into the bottom corner. Lukaku then forced Howard into two further interventions, before he ran on to De Bruyne’s imaginative roll behind the backline, finished emphatically and planted a smacker on the camera.
It was not quite the kiss of death for USA. First, Bradley dinked the ball over the top for Green to volley past Courtois and halve the arrears, before Jones prodded narrowly wide. Lukaku then surfed his way past two tackles and unleashed a shot, which Howard repelled masterfully. His opposite number then turned saviour. Bradley and Jones combined immaculately from a rehearsed free-kick to set up Dempsey, yards out, only for Courtois to make himself big and block the adidas Brazuca. The final whistle sounded soon after. Howard, over 120 minutes, had produced one of the greatest goalkeeping performances the World Cup had ever seen. Lukaku, in just 30, had settled one of the most memorable matches in recent memory.
“It was an amazing game for the spectators, but not for my heart. Don’t give me any more games like this, and don’t let me face Tim Howard again. Please.” Marc Wilmots
“As someone whose first sport was soccer, to see the way you guys captured the hearts and imaginations of the whole country is unbelievable. Tim, I don’t know how you’re going to survive the mobs when you come back home, man. You’re going to have to shave your beard so they don’t know who you are!” Barack Obama, the US President, during a call to Dempsey and Howard the following day
“Playing Divock Origi was a difficult decision for me. People were right to criticise Romelu – he hadn’t been producing – but I told him not to worry, that the knockout phase could be his time. He was excellent, he stepped up when we needed him.” Marc Wilmots
“For a long time I was naïve about how much it meant to Americans. I was embarrassed when people came up to me to talk about it. It didn’t realise how epic it was to them. I’ve since learned to embrace it. It’s all people ever want to talk to me about. They come up to me on the street, in supermarkets, airports, wherever I am to talk about Belgium. They tell me where they were, who they were with, what they were doing for the game. Yeah, I’m proud of it. It made Americans proud.” Tim Howard
Green, at 19 years and 25 days, became the seventh-youngest player to score at the World Cup. Ironically, he stole the position from Origi, who had claimed it nine days earlier. Green and Origi now sit eighth and ninth on the list respectively.
Tim Howard made 16 saves in Salvador – a record for a World Cup game.
Kevin de Bruyne created 10 chances against USA. It remains the most in a World Cup match this century.
#ThingsTimHowardCouldSave began trending on Twitter in the second half of the game. Dinosaurs, Ned Stark, Private Ryan and The Titanic were among a host of comical suggestions. The incumbent on the Wikipedia entry for the United States Secretary of Defense was changed from Chuck Hagel to Tim Howard, while memes were made of his Howard’s faces replacing the sculpted heads of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln on Mount Rushmore, and former US Presidents on dollar coins.
Sources: FIFA Official
