Belgium beats New Zealand to be first

The Belgian team defeated the New Zealand team (1-5) this Friday on the last day of Group G held at the BC Place Vancouver (Canada), to open its record of victories in time to advance as first to the round of 32 of the 2026 World Cup.

After two draws, Rudi Garcia’s men put the doubts to rest in the third, with goals and a strong display that revealed Leandro Trossard’s double. Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku, survivors of the famous golden generation, put the finishing touch to the front of a Belgium that gained an a priori more accessible path.

The ‘red devils’ decided not to have to look at Egypt-Iran, which ended with a 1-1 that left the Pharaohs second, with a great staging, which lacked some clarity in the final meters, but which had no opposition in New Zealand. The Oceanic team escaped a penalty, corrected with the VAR, and saved as best they could until Trossard made it 0-1 at half an hour.

Chris Wood went unnoticed, and that’s how his participation in the World Cup ended, but his team agreed to go into half-time losing by the minimum, after the deployment of Jérémy Doku, back after attending the birth of his son, and De Bruyne. Darren Bazeley moved the bench, but Trossard scored twice in the 50th minute, putting Belgium on course for first place.

Thibaut Courtois did not give anything to the ‘All Whites’ either and the siege of the ‘red devils’ found even more success in a great second half. De Bruyne, who was beginning to get frustrated by the missed chances, scored the third to overtake Egypt in the table on goal difference. Then, Elijah Just, the man of the World Cup for New Zealand, beyond the viral Tim Payne, scored his third goal after his double against Iran.

With first place in the air Lukaku entered, and the historic Belgian scorer took a minute to head in the 1-4. Already in stoppage time, Alexis Saelemaekers, also showing his wardrobe for Garcia, signed with the fifth the goodbye of New Zealand and the step forward for a Belgium that, after falling in the group stage in 2022, may be facing another brilliant tournament with old rockers.

TECHNICAL SHEET.

–RESULT: NEW ZEALAND, 1 – BELGIUM, 5. (0-1, at halftime).

–ALIGNMENTS:

NUEVA ZEALAND: Crocombe; Payne (Boxall, min.64), Surman, Bindon, Cacace (De Vries, min.79); Stamenic, Bell (McCowatt, min.64); Thomas (Old, descanso), Singh (Randall, descanso), Just y Wood.

BELGICA: Courtois; Castagne, Mechele, Theate, De Cuyper; Vanaken, Tielemans (Raskin, min.85); Trossard (Saelemaekers, min.72), De Bruyne (Onana, min.72), Doku y De Ketelaere (Lukaku, min.85).

–GOALS:

0 – 1, min.28, Trossard.

0 – 2, min.50, Trossard.

0 – 3, min.66, De Bruyne.

1 – 3, min.84, Just.

1 – 4, min.86, Lukaku.

1 – 5, min.95, Saelemaekers.

–REFEREE: Adham Mohammad Tumah Makhadmeh (JOR). He cautioned Stamenic (min.46) and Just (min.56) for New Zealand.

–ESTADIO: BC Place Vancouver.