The United States were brought back to earth with a crash on Monday, as Belgium ran out convincing 4-1 winners to shatter American ambitions at the FIFA World Cup.

It was a performance that left no room for debate — Belgium were dominant throughout, exposing the gulf in quality between the two sides in the most unambiguous terms possible.

For United States, the result represented a sobering reality check, their World Cup campaign crumbling under the weight of a ruthless Belgian display that offered little in the way of hope for the hosts.