Belgium crushed New Zealand 5-1 at BC Place in Vancouver, in the third and final match of Group 7 of the 2026 World Cup, securing first place in the group. The star of the show was Leandro Trossard, who scored two goals, while Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, and Alexis Salemakers, in a dominant performance by the “Red Devils.”
Rudi Garcia’s team went into the final match knowing they needed a win to secure qualification, and in the end, not only did they achieve that, but also capitalized on Egypt’s draw with Iran, finishing at the top of the group with five points. Egypt advanced in second place, Iran remains in contention in third, while New Zealand finished in last place.
Highlights
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Starting lineups
New Zealand (Daren Beasley): Krokom, Payne (64′ Boxall), Binton, Sherman, Kakache, Joe Bell (64′ McCowat), Stamenic, Sarprit Singh (46′ Randall), Ryan Thomas (46′ Ben Old), Eliza Just, Chris Wood.
Belgium (Rudi Garcia): Courtois, Castagne, Meunier, Theat, De Keper, Tielemans, Vanaken, De Bruyne (72′ Onana), Doku (56′ Fernández-Pardo), Trossard (72′ Salemakers), De Ketelaere (79′ Lukaku).
Standings:
Photo credit: AP