北京时间7月7日，美加墨世界杯1/8决赛，比利时4-1战胜美国，晋级8强。
7月6日，比利时队球员在赛后向观众致意。图源：新华社
深陷“红牌但是不用停赛”争议的美国队前锋巴洛贡最终“如约”获得首发资格，但他的回归并未改变比赛走势。
比赛第33分钟，德凯特拉雷完成双响；下半场，比利时再入2球，锁定胜局。
The United States' World Cup dreams came to a crashing halt in the last 16 against Belgium on Monday as Charles De Ketelaere scored twice in a 4-1 win overshadowed by FIFA's controversial decision to suspend US forward Folarin Balogun's ban.
赛后，比利时国家队官方社媒发文玩梗嘲讽美国队：“这叫football，不叫soccer”，引发网友热议。
足球在全球被广泛称为“football”，而在美国、加拿大等少数国家足球被称为“soccer”，“football”则指可以用手进行比赛的美式足球，即美式橄榄球。（）
此前，因十六分之一决赛中踩踏对方球员脚部吃到红牌的美国头号射手巴洛贡，被国际足联判定禁赛一场处罚，并暂缓一年执行。这使得他成为自1970年世界杯引入红黄牌规则以来，首名在吃到红牌的情况下还能继续出战球队下一场世界杯正赛的球员。
Balogun was sent off for stamping on defender Tarik Muharemovic during the US 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the World Cup round of 32 on July 1. Last Sunday, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee imposed a one-match suspension on Balogun but suspended the enforcement of the sanction for a one-year probationary period - under Article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, allowing the US leading scorer to remain eligible for Monday's round-of-16 clash against Belgium.
According to sports statistics provider Opta, no player had ever appeared in his team's next FIFA World Cup match after receiving a red card since the introduction of the yellow and red card system in 1970.
7月1日，美国队球员福拉林·巴洛贡（右二）被出示红牌。图源：新华社
特朗普：曾与国际足联主席通电话
特朗普6日在白宫对媒体证实，他确实就美国队球员巴洛贡红牌一事与国际足联主席因凡蒂诺通了电话，不过“并没有指挥因凡蒂诺该怎么做”。
特朗普称，如果比利时能战胜美国队，那比利时队会很自豪，但他自己会说这比赛“有黑幕”，就像2020年美国总统大选一样……
Trump confirmed that he asked FIFA to review Balogun's red card suspension before the organization reversed its decision, allowing the star striker to participate in Monday night's match, NBC News reported.
"I asked for a review by FIFA," Trump said, responding to a reporter's question during an Oval Office event Monday. At the same time, Trump said he had "nothing to do with the decision".
国际足联的这一决定引发多方质疑。比利时足协发表多篇声明，表示对这一决定“感到震惊”。欧足联也发声明表示，这一决定“越过了红线”，将对整个足球世界产生消极影响。
The ruling drew strong criticism from the Belgian Football Association, which issued statements expressing "astonishment" at the decision. European football governing body UEFA also condemned the ruling, saying it had "crossed a red line" and could have negative consequences for the game as a whole.
比利时足协于6日提出申诉，但却在开赛前夕得到了国际足联不予受理的正式答复。按照国际足联的说法，不予受理的理由是“比利时足协并非相关程序的当事方，因此无权就该决定提出上诉”。
今天出场的巴洛贡并没能成为美国队的救星。相比围绕他产生的巨大争议，他对比赛走势的影响十分有限——真正决定比赛结果的，依旧是两支球队在场上的整体表现。比利时队用一场优势明显的大胜，给出了有力的证明。
网友评论：
来源：中国日报双语新闻综合央视新闻、21世纪英文报、中国青年报等
跟着China Daily
精读英语新闻
“无痛”学英语，每天20分钟就够！
热门跟贴