Friendlies: Belgium Rolls
Belgium thumped host USA 5‑2 in Atlanta, exposing defensive issues for the Americans ahead of World Cup prep. Elsewhere in warmups, Germany beat Switzerland 4‑3 and Denmark hammered North Macedonia 4‑0, while playoff drama saw Bolivia rally to beat Suriname 2‑1 and Jamaica edge New Caledonia 1‑0. (x.com)(x.com)(x.com)
Zeno Debast (44'), Amadou Onana (52') and Charles De Ketelaere (58' pen) all scored for Belgium before substitute Dodi Lukebakio struck twice after coming on, with Lukebakio’s finishes arriving in the 67th and 81st minutes. (espn.com) Weston McKennie opened the scoring for the hosts — his 12th international goal — and Patrick Agyemang added a late strike, while the match attracted 66,867 to Mercedes‑Benz Stadium. (ussoccer.com) Head coach Mauricio Pochettino described the loss as “painful” in his postgame comments and framed it as a learning moment as he prepares to name his World Cup roster after this March camp, for which he initially called 27 players. (foxsports.com) Florian Wirtz had two assists in the first half and then scored twice in the second (61' and 85') to turn the game for Germany in Basel, a performance that drew widespread praise and a 34,316 crowd at St. Jakob‑Park. (espn.co.uk) Denmark’s win featured Mikkel Damsgaard (49'), a rapid Gustav Isaksen double (58', 59') and a Christian Nørgaard header (75'), and the Danes now advance to a Path D playoff final against Czechia on March 31 after a 35,746 attendance at Parken. (11v11.com) In the inter‑confederation play‑offs in Mexico, Suriname took the lead through Liam van Gelderen (48') before Bolivia equalised via Moises Paniagua (72') and secured the winner through Miguel Terceros (79'); the Bolivia winner advances to face Iraq in the March 31 final at Estadio BBVA in Monterrey. (espn.in) Bailey Cadamarteri’s 18th‑minute strike for Jamaica settled their semi‑final in Guadalajara and sends the Reggae Boyz into a March 31 final against DR Congo at Estadio Akron for a single World Cup berth. (espn.ph)
