Belgium national football team delivered a clinical second-half performance to secure a 5-2 friendly win over United States men’s national soccer team, extending their unbeaten streak to 10 matches (W7, D3) under Rudi Garcia.

The co-hosts of the upcoming FIFA World Cup entered the match unbeaten in their previous five warm-up fixtures (W4, D1), but faced a tough test against a strong Belgian side. Belgium created the first clear chance, though Alexis Saelemaekers fired over from a promising position inside the box.

The USA gradually settled into the contest and came close to opening the scoring, but Weston McKennie saw his close-range effort brilliantly saved by Senne Lammens.

Belgium, who have consistently scored freely in recent matches, continued to threaten in attack. Saelemaekers forced another save from Matt Turner with a low drive, while Charles De Ketelaere had a goal disallowed for handball in the build-up.

The USA struck first despite Belgium’s pressure, with McKennie left unmarked in the six-yard box to convert from a corner delivered by Antonee Robinson.

Undeterred, Belgium national football team restored parity just before half-time when Zeno Debast scored his first international goal with a superb long-range effort that found the bottom corner beyond Matt Turner.

The end-to-end nature of the match continued into the early stages of the second half, with Christian Pulisic missing a good opportunity as he fired over from close range.

The hosts were quickly made to pay for that miss, as a clever cutback from Alexis Saelemaekers was calmly converted by Amadou Onana to put Belgium ahead again.

Belgium pushed to extend their advantage, with Jeremy Doku testing Turner before the visitors were awarded a penalty following a handball by Tim Ream. Charles De Ketelaere stepped up and confidently sent Turner the wrong way to widen the gap.

With momentum firmly on their side, Belgium manager Rudi Garcia made several changes as the match approached the final half-hour.

One substitute, Dodi Lukebakio, made an immediate impact in the 68th minute, cutting in from the right side of the box and firing a stunning effort into the top corner.

As United States men’s national soccer team focused on damage limitation under coach Mauricio Pochettino, Belgium remained relentless in attack and added a fifth when Lukebakio powered home a loose ball past Turner.

A late consolation from Patrick Agyemang, who capitalised on an error by Youri Tielemans, provided a small measure of pride for the hosts, but it proved to be a difficult evening overall as the USA suffered their first-ever defeat in the state of Georgia (W2, D2).