Belgium reach World Cup knockouts as New Zealand exit tournament

A treble onslaught from Arsenal’s Leandro Trossard against New Zealand carried Belgium to apical of Group G, up of Egypt connected extremity difference.

Belgium defeated New Zealand 5-1 to publication their spot successful the knockout rounds of the 2026 World Cup connected Friday, eliminating the All Whites from the tournament. The effect secured the European nation’s archetypal triumph of the World Cup, arsenic they finished connected apical of Group G successful Vancouver.

A treble onslaught from Arsenal’s Leandro Trossard and goals from Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Saelemaekers carried Belgium into the past 32 successful archetypal spot ahead of Egypt connected extremity difference.

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Egypt claimed the runners-up spot aft a 1-1 gully with Iran successful Seattle. The Iranians finished 3rd successful the radical and look an anxious hold to cognize astir their knockout fate.

Belgium dominated a lopsided archetypal fractional and had alarm bells ringing successful the New Zealand defence aboriginal connected erstwhile Trossard’s angled changeable cannoned disconnected the wrong of the upright lone to beryllium cleared disconnected the enactment by Tyler Bindon.

Belgium looked poised to instrumentality the pb moments aboriginal erstwhile Jordanian referee Adham Makhadmeh pointed to the punishment spot aft Trossard’s changeable deed the limb of covering defender Finn Surman.

But VAR sent Makhadmeh to the show to instrumentality different look astatine the decision, which was subsequently overturned and New Zealand breathed again.

Yet Belgium did not person agelong to hold earlier the breakthrough and again it was Trossard who proved to beryllium successful the close spot astatine the close time, bundling location from adjacent scope aft De Bruyne’s country sowed panic successful the six-yard box.

Trossard efficaciously made the crippled harmless 5 minutes into the 2nd half, controlling a rebound successful a crowded country to volley location past New Zealand goalkeeper Max Crocombe astatine the adjacent post.

Kevin De Bruyne #7 of Belgium celebrates aft scoring his team’s 3rd extremity [Emilee Chinn/Getty Images via AFP]

De Bruyne past stroked location an elegant debased decorativeness successful the 66th infinitesimal to marque it 3-0, a important extremity which saw the Belgians leapfrog implicit Egypt into archetypal spot connected extremity difference.

Yet determination was to beryllium a melodramatic extremity erstwhile New Zealand’s Elijah Just volleyed location a consolation onslaught from the borderline of the country to marque it 3-1.

That could person been perchance costly, with the extremity abruptly bumping Belgium down into 2nd place.

But Lukaku nodded location his team’s 4th successful the 86th infinitesimal with his archetypal interaction conscionable a infinitesimal aft coming connected arsenic a substitute to instrumentality Belgium to the apical of the table.

Saelemaekers completed the scoring with a changeable from the borderline of the area.