INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Belgium’s 4-1 dismantling of the United States in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16 wasn’t enough.
The Red Devils wanted the last laugh, too.
As Romelu Lukaku buried Belgium’s fourth goal Monday night in Seattle, he sprinted toward the corner flag and with his teammates quickly joining him, broke into the unmistakable dance made famous by President Donald Trump at political rallies.
You know the one. The one impersonated by athletes across the country, including USMNT star Christian Pulisic. The one that involves slow swaying fists and rhythmic shoulder movements to the tune of the Village People’s “Y.M.C.A.”
Later, the same celebration moved into Belgium’s locker room, where players repeated the dance while singing along to the song that has become synonymous with Trump’s campaign appearances.
Another jab at the Americans came in a message posted on Belgium’s official X account shortly after the final whistle: “Overturn this.”
It was Belgium’s pointed response after FIFA suspended the one-match red card suspension of U.S. striker Folarin Balogun following reported intervention from Trump the day before kickoff.
The controversial decision irritated the Belgian camp. The federation appealed the decision and lost, but the players turned their frustration into fuel.
“We told ourselves we needed to do our talking on the pitch,” captain Youri Tielemans said after the victory. “That’s what we did today.”
Midfielder Charles De Ketelaere, who scored twice in the victory, admitted the ruling provided extra motivation.
“I think for sure it had some impact on us,” De Ketelaere told Fox’s Tom Rinaldi. “We had a little extra motivation. For sure it motivated us a little bit more and you saw it today.”
Nicolas Raskin was even more blunt.
“There’s always justice somewhere in life,” the Belgian midfielder said.
On Wednesday, as Belgium settled into preparations for its quarterfinal against Spain, the celebration had become one of the tournament’s biggest talking points.
Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois distanced himself from the locker room festivities, saying he was required to do a doping test and wasn’t present when the dance took place.
Left back Diego Moreira smiled when asked about the dance and whether it carried any political meaning behind it.
“There are different ways to celebrate different goals,” Moreira said in Spanish through an interpreter. “You can do different dances, and that’s what we’ve done. We just celebrated the win after the game.”
Belgium’s frustration with America carried over in Los Angeles when the federation asked to relocate its training base from Loyola Marymount to the L.A. Galaxy facility in Carson because the original facilities failed to meet their standards.
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By Thursday, the team was ready to shift their attention to Spain as head coach Rudi Garcia and Lukaku declined to revisit the controversy during a prematch press conference. But Garcia was asked if he thought the crowd would be hostile in Los Angeles on Friday as many Americans might still hold a grudge against Belgium.
“We just beat the U.S., obviously, in a match where everyone was against us,” Garcia said. “I don’t think the conditions will be any more difficult tomorrow. … It’s not the fans who score the goals, it’s the players.”
Still, the images of the Belgian players trolling Trump and the U.S. in Seattle still linger.
But one could argue, the U.S. deserved to have their opponents celebrate by turning one of America’s most recognizable political gestures into a victory dance, twisting the knife one final time before the Americans exited the World Cup.
