Belgium unites to enjoy national team’s World Cup success over USA and Trump

Belgium fans in Brussels set fire to an American flag as they celebrate the 4-1 victory over the USA in the last 16 of the World Cup. Photograph: Daniel Gnap/NurPhoto/Shutterstock View image in fullscreen Belgium fans in Brussels set fire to an American flag as they celebrate the 4-1 victory over the USA in the last 16 of the World Cup. Photograph: Daniel Gnap/NurPhoto/Shutterstock Belgium unites to enjoy national team’s World Cup success over USA and Trump Fans across Belgium watched 4-1 win in early hours Victory ‘a real slap in the face for Trump and Infantino’ Belgium fans reacted with jubilation after the national team trounced the USA in a World Cup game that was overshadowed by the controversy over Donald Trump’s lobbying to overturn the suspension of the striker Falorin Balogun. Belgium’s prime minister, Bart De Wever, has yet to comment on the national team’s triumph, but the official Instagram account of his cat offered a sardonic, albeit indirect sign of satisfaction. Maximus, De Wever’s beloved cat, was shown lying on a rug holding a soft toy in the image of the US president. “I slept really well last night. And you?” reads the speech bubble in Dutch. Allow Instagram content? This article includes content provided by Instagram . We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. To view this content, click 'Allow and continue' . Allow and continue Maximus’s Instagram account, which is managed by De Wever’s team, often strays into political territory , with ironic, albeit oblique comments on fellow politicians or events. Belgian fans, many clad in national red, yellow and black colours, gathered in large crowds across the country to watch the game, despite the 2am local kick-off time on Tuesday. “The Belgian national team is our national pride, so we have to support them, even at night,” one supporter, Jens Boden, 23, told the newspaper De Standaard from a screening in Kalmthout, near the Dutch border. Reporting from Kalmthout, De Standaard said crowds booed images of the Americans and Gianni Infantino, the president of Fifa, which took the decision to lift the suspension of Balogun , after Trump’s lobbying. In Brussels, supporters set fire to an American flag. The retired Belgium defender Philippe Albert, a centre-back for Newcastle United in the 1990s, described the Red Devils’ victory as “a real slap in the face for Donald Trump and Gianni Infantino”. “They tried to destabilise a little country, but Belgium has shown that it has a big heart,” Albert, now a football commentator, told the Francophone daily Le Soir. “Despite a far-from-optimal preparation the Devils all responded.” View image in fullscreen Romelu Lukaku celebrates scoring Belgium’s fourth goal against the USA. Photograph: Jamie Squire/Getty Images Amid celebrations, the national team’s social media post after the emphatic 4-1 victory saying “Overturn this” went viral. Also gaining vast numbers of likes and clicks