Kevin De Bruyne turned a heroic night for U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard into defeat on Tuesday with an extra-time goal and an assist that gave Belgium a 2-1 victory and a quarterfinal match against Lionel Messi and Argentina.
With three extra-time goals total in a thrilling match, De Bruyne and substitute Romelu Lukaku gave Belgium a comfortable lead before Julian Green closed the gap with 12 minutes to go and made for a nervy ending.
Belgium's unyielding attacks for 90 minutes on Tuesday only highlighted the great performance of the 35-year-old Howard, but the goalkeeper's teammates finally wilted in the evening heat once extra time came.
Three minutes into extra time, Lukaku found space on the right and passed into the center. At first, the ball was poked out before De Bruyne gained possession. Belgium's creative genius still had the energy for a sharp turn, and his low shot finally missed the yellow foot of Howard and settled inside the post.
In the 105th minute, Belgium looked like they had put the game away. De Bruyne launched Lukaku into open space on the left, and the Everton striker beat his club teammate with a drive to the near post.
It wasn't over on a sticky, anxiety-ridden night, however. The Americans got late hope when Green pulled one back in the 107th minute with a sterling volley on the turn that Thibaut Courtois could only touch before he saw it fly into his net.
It always was going to be a physical battle between the two teams, but Belgium was the only one adding creative touches, underscoring their individual class.
When U.S. President Barack Obama started watching the game in the second half, all he could see was increasing one-way traffic facing his team. Divock Origi hit the bar with a header in the second half, two players totally missed the ball for what would have been a tap-in goal and Howard swatted away ever more balls.
