Trossard hits double as Belgium thrash New Zealand to reach knockouts
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- Belgium beat New Zealand 5-1 at BC Place, Vancouver (attendance 52,497), finishing atop Group G on goal difference and booking a round-of-32 spot against the third-place finisher from Group A/E/H/I/J on Wednesday at 9pm UK in Seattle.
- Leandro Trossard broke the deadlock in the 28th minute with a poacher's finish from a corner and doubled Belgium's lead five minutes into the second half with a chest-and-volley finish.
- Kevin De Bruyne added a third in the 66th minute, only for New Zealand's Elijah Just to pull one back in the 84th; substitute Romelu Lukaku headed in just 64 seconds after coming on and Alexis Saelemaekers added a stoppage-time fifth.
- Belgium racked up 35 shots against New Zealand, the lowest-ranked side in the tournament, who were eliminated after finishing bottom of the group.
- The result was Belgium's first win of the 2026 tournament after drawing their opening two group games, sparing Rudi Garcia's side consecutive group-stage World Cup exits.
- Egypt's draw with Iran kept Belgium in first place — Just's 84th-minute consolation had momentarily pushed the Red Devils into the runners-up slot before Lukaku's instant reply.
Why it matters: Belgium needed a five-goal margin over the tournament's lowest-ranked side just to top Group G on goal difference over Egypt. Instead of a cushier knockout matchup, the Red Devils now face a Wednesday round-of-32 tie in Seattle against an undecided third-place finisher from a pool spanning five groups, raising the stakes before the tournament's bracket truly takes shape.
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