Belgium beat New Zealand 5-1 to advance to World Cup knockout stage
Leandro Trossard scored twice as Belgium won Group G.
Belgium’s Leandro Trossard celebrates after scoring against New Zealand during their World Cup Group G match in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada on Jun 26, 2026. (Photo: AP/Darryl Dyck)
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VANCOUVER, CANADA: Leandro Trossard scored twice as Belgium beat New Zealand 5-1 on Friday (Jun 26) to breeze into the knockout stage of the World Cup, winning Group G to set up a last-32 clash with one of the eight best third-placed teams.
After having a penalty award overturned following a VAR check, Belgium broke the deadlock in the 28th minute when Kevin de Bruyne’s corner bounced off New Zealand defender Tim Payne and dropped perfectly for Trossard to poke into the net from close range.
The 31-year-old netted again five minutes after the break, picking up an incisive pass from de Bruyne and rifling the ball home at the second attempt after his initial shot was blocked.
De Bruyne then swept the ball in from the edge of the box to get on the scoresheet himself in the 66th minute.
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Elijah Just netted a late consolation goal for the Kiwis before substitutes Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Saelemaekers scored to ensure top spot in the group ahead of Egypt.
Coach Rudi Garcia’s decision to bench Lukaku and place his trust in Trossard opened up different angles and opportunities for de Bruyne, but by the final whistle all three were on the scoresheet.
“They are so wonderful for a nation as ours, and they delivered tonight, Leandro, de Bruyne, Lukaku – this is what the so-called ‘oldies’ did tonight,” Garcia told reporters.
“We haven’t won anything yet, but we moved on to the next phase.”
No one had a bigger influence on the game than de Bruyne, who played his part in Trossard’s double.
“We’re just really happy with everyone. I think we have such a good group at the moment,” Trossard said.
“Everyone is important, you can see today as well – the players coming from the bench, they are involved with goals and assists as well, so, yeah, we have to just keep on going and continue that into the next game.”
Subscribe to the FIFA World Cup 2026™ and catch all 104 matches live on mewatch. Visit mewatch.sg/fifaworldcup for more details.
Source: Reuters
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