Belgium beat New Zealand to win World Cup group. Welcome to the party, Kevin De Bruyne
Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku were both on the scoresheet as Belgium sealed their place in the World Cup knockout stage with a 5-1 win against New Zealand in Vancouver.Arsenal forward Leandro Trossard scored twice in an emphatic victory that means the Belgians finish top of Group G and will now face one of the third-placed qualifiers in the round of 32 in nearby Seattle on July 1.Belgium’s position at the top of the group was in doubt in the final stages after New Zealand pulled a goal back through Elijah Just to make it 3-1, which bumped Egypt up to first place for two minutes, before Lukaku restored their three-goal lead with a header from close range.Get free access to the most comprehensive World Cup coverage in The Athletic appThen there was even later drama because of events in the other group game in Seattle, where Iran had a 93rd-minute winner against Egypt ruled out for offside after intervention from the video assistant referee (VAR). That game finished 1-1. Egypt qualify in second place, meaning they will play Australia in Dallas on July 3.The winners of Belgium’s match could face the United States in the round of 16 if Mauricio Pochettino’s co-hosts beat Bosnia and Herzegovina on July 1.Iran, with three points and a neutral goal difference, have a strong chance of reaching the round of 32 via their third-place finish.Joshua Kloke and Phil Hay analyse the talking points from BC Place…Welcome to the party, KevinWe’d been waiting for Kevin De Bruyne to say hello at these finals. It was never likely that they’d pass without him doing something marvellous but Belgium’s first two group opponents, Egypt and Iran, were fairly impervious to his movement and manipulation.It’s not a secret that the midfielder’s peak years are behind him at age 34 but his touch and his brain won’t ever leave him, and his beautiful strike for Belgium’s third goal was a demonstration of both.
The touch with his right boot to drag the ball into a patch of space on the edge of the box was exquisite, leaving his nearest marker nowhere, and his low, dead-eye shot from 20 yards was like so much of the finishing Manchester City enjoyed from him for a decade until his move to Napoli a year ago.
(Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)The 2026 World Cup has seen big name after big name turn it on. Welcome to the party, KDB.Phil HayWas this another sellout at BC Place?This was the fifth World Cup match in Vancouver and easily the tamest crowd and dullest atmosphere so far. There was little buzz around the city beforehand.Australia-Turkey was back and forth, and the Turkish fans were piercingly loud. New Zealand-Egypt was an outpouring of audacious joy when Egyptian fans celebrated their country’s first ever World Cup win.And the two Canada games? Man. Their second group game against Qatar was a party that rivalled the 2010 Winter Olympics hosted here and during their second match, a 2-1 defeat to Switzerland, the rollicking crowd nearly willed the co-hosts to a draw.But this? It was telling that three pigeons which flew around inside the stadium easily took people’s eyes off the game at times.Perhaps part of the reason for the dull crowd were the numbers. Yes, attendance was listed as another sellout at 52,497 but to my eyes, there were more empty seats, easily in the hundreds, compared with the previous four games here. FIFA was contacted for comment.Maybe this game was a tough sell following the emotional peaks and valleys experienced in Canada’s game. But the swelling balloon that has been the 2026 World Cup in Vancouver was deflated a little on Friday night.Joshua KlokeIs De Ketelaere a better option than Lukaku?A fully-fit, in-gear Romelu Lukaku would do fine for Belgium as the No 9 in their 4-2-3-1 system. In good shape and good form, he’s an easy pick.Lukaku, however, showed major ring-rust against Iran on matchday two, and that’s a problem because Belgium’s squad is largely devoid of centre-forwards. They have an ample supply of players who can operate out wide or in a three behind the striker, but there’s no like-for-like replacement for Lukaku.Benfica’s Dodi Lukebakio had a go there after the Belgians went down to 10 men in that goalless draw with Iran but Charles De Ketelaere of Atalanta is as close as coach Rudi Garcia has to a suitable option up front.De Ketelaere isn’t a nine who will win you the World Cup, and this squad isn’t strong enough to do that anyway. But he’s more mobile than the 33-year-old Lukaku, he helped a dominant performance against a poor New Zealand side and for now, he surely keeps his place — irrespective of the latter coming off the bench to bag Belgium’s fourth almost immediately.Phil HayHow close did Belgium come to an early lead?Only physics and two unfortunate bounces denied Leandro Trossard the opening goal during one of Belgium’s earliest attacks.They laid the pressure on thick from the start and worked Trossard into New Zealand’s left channel, giving him a chance to shoot across goalkeeper Max Crocombe.Trossard looked like he’d placed his shot perfectly but it caught the inside of the far post, bounced along the line and found Liberato Cacace waiting to bundle the ball away to safety.Goal line technology confirmed that Trossard’s effort hadn’t gone in and while it was nowhere near as tight as the margin which went against Japan during their win over Tunisia earlier in the group stage, it was a close call all the same.New Zealand were counting their lucky stars — not that the reprieve made much difference.Phil Hay
