MAURICIO POCHETTINO admitted his disappointment at the “politics and manipulation” which overshadowed the US’s World Cup exit following President Donald Trump’s intervention.

The co-hosts were dumped out of the competition in the last 16 after they were thumped 4-1 by Belgium during the early hours of this morning.

They did so with Folarin Balogun included in the starting line-up after the one-match ban he incurred for his dismissal during the 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the previous round was controversially suspended, with President Trump revealing he had asked Fifa president Gianni Infantino to review the situation.

Asked afterwards if the outcry the decision sparked had affected his players, USA head coach Pochettino told the BBC: “It didn’t affect our performance. It’s not an excuse. It wasn’t our day.

“I feel disappointed with too many people. They put politics and manipulation, talk about ethics and integrity [first]. If we talk about the history of this game, I am disappointed in a personal way.”

Belgium, who had registered their anger over the decision to allow Monaco striker Balogun to play, did their talking on the pitch as they dismantled a US side looking to make it to the quarter-finals for the first time since 2002.

“The fact that something happened like that [decision], we don’t think that was fair. And today, I think it just brings us a little bit of [motivation] that we needed to win the game,” Belgian midfielder Nicolas Raskin said.

Substitute Romelu Lukaku struck in stoppage time to make the final score 4-1, securing a last eight showdown with Spain and completing a miserable evening for the locals.

Lukaku and his teammates appeared to poke fun at the decision, celebrating the goal with a version of the so-called “Trump dance,” which became closely associated with the US president during his 2024 election campaign.

Belgium’s official Instagram account also appeared to mock the controversy, posting a picture of striker Lukaku cupping his ear alongside the caption: “Overturn this.”