It took a slow half hour, but once Leandro Trossard found the breakthrough, Belgium turned this into the rout we previewed — just with a different name doing most of the damage. Trossard opened the scoring in the 28th minute, then doubled it five minutes into the second half. Kevin De Bruyne, playing what may have been his final World Cup match, made it three with a goal in the 66th. New Zealand, to their credit, got a goal back through Elijah Just in the 84th — a fitting moment for an All Whites side that came to this tournament to compete, not just make up numbers. Belgium answered immediately: Romelu Lukaku restored the three-goal cushion two minutes later, and Alexis Saelemaekers added a fifth in stoppage time.
Belgium manager Rudi Garcia, asked about his veteran spine afterward, didn't hide his relief: "This is what the oldies did tonight, quote unquote. Now, we haven't won anything yet but we moved on to the next phase, but thank goodness we had a difference of four goals and that gave us the opportunity to be first of the group." That goal difference matters — Belgium finish level on points with Egypt but top Group G by virtue of it.
New Zealand's tournament ends here, but not without pride: a competitive group campaign that included real moments against sides ranked far above them, capped by a send-off goal in front of a crowd that gave the All Whites a generous ovation as they left the pitch.
If this is the final World Cup appearance for Belgium's golden generation, the 66th-minute strike was a fitting note to go out on.
Belgium and Egypt finish level on five points apiece. It's the four-goal margin tonight that hands Belgium top spot.
Outclassed on the scoreline, but Just's goal and the crowd's reaction tell a different story about how this All Whites squad competed.
| Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇧🇪 Belgium | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | +4 | 5 |
| 🇪🇬 Egypt | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | +2 | 5 |
| 🇮🇷 Iran | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 🇳🇿 New Zealand | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | -6 | 1 |
Belgium take top spot on goal difference over Egypt, both level on 5 points. Belgium's round of 32 opponent is still to be confirmed — one of South Korea, Senegal, or Group J's third-placed team. New Zealand finish bottom and are eliminated.