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Belgium hammered New Zealand 5-1 to top Group G and march into the knockout rounds. Leandro Trossard got the party started with a brace (28', 50'), before De Bruyne (66'), Lukaku (86') and Saelemaekers (90+4') piled on the misery for the All Whites. Elijah Just pulled one back for New Zealand in the 84th minute, but it was purely cosmetic. Romelu Lukaku's goal made him Belgium's all-time World Cup top scorer, edging past Marc Wilmots' record of five. Belgium advance to the round of 32 to face a third-place finisher; New Zealand are heading home.
Pre-match Talking Points
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1Stakes: Belgium need to win this to be certain of reaching the knockout rounds — two draws from their first two games has left them sweating. New Zealand are bottom of Group G with one point and need a win just to keep hope alive. So both sides are desperate, just for very different reasons. Lose this and Belgium, a team that arrived as one of the tournament's fancier names, could be going home early.
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2Head-to-head: These two don't meet very often — New Zealand aren't exactly regular fixtures at major tournaments. This is only the All Whites' second World Cup in the 48-team era, and historically Belgium have had very little reason to worry about them. But underdog narratives have a funny way of biting you, and Belgium have looked shaky enough that this isn't a foregone conclusion.
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3Player to watch: Kevin De Bruyne, 34, is Belgium's heartbeat — the Napoli midfielder who makes everything click. The thing is, Belgium have looked flat without him truly turning it on, and two goals in two group games tells you the chances aren't being converted. If De Bruyne finds his range, this gets comfortable for Belgium fast. If not, it's going to be a long night for the Red Devils.
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4The subplot: Belgium have been a mess. They needed an own goal to draw with Egypt, then went down to ten men against Iran and still couldn't score. Rudi Garcia is under pressure, the squad looks disjointed, and there are murmurs about the dressing room atmosphere. Meanwhile New Zealand's Chris Wood — their veteran Nottingham Forest striker — scored against Egypt and gives them a focal point Belgium's defence will have to respect.
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5The hook: New Zealand are only the second team from Oceania to reach a World Cup since the tournament expanded, and they've already shown they can score — they led Egypt at half-time before fading. Belgium, by contrast, have been one of the biggest flops of the tournament so far. If the All Whites could pull off a win here it would be one of the genuine upsets of the group stage. The odds say it won't happen, but Belgium's form says don't be so sure.
Team Talking Points
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1New Zealand went out in the group stage with a single point to their name — a 2-2 draw with Iran — after losing 3-1 to Egypt and 5-1 to Belgium, the latter on June 26 ending their tournament. Only the third time the All Whites have ever made a World Cup finals, so simply being there was the achievement.
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2The high point was that opening 2-2 draw with Iran. Elijah Just scored both New Zealand goals, and captain Chris Wood set up each one — the first time a New Zealand player has registered multiple assists in a single World Cup match. A genuinely proud night for a small football nation.
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3The low point was Egypt's 3-1 win, sealed by a Mohamed Salah goal that gave Egypt their first-ever World Cup victory. Being the answer to someone else's piece of history is a familiar spot for smaller nations to find themselves in — bittersweet rather than embarrassing.
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4Chris Wood, the 34-year-old Nottingham Forest striker and long-serving captain, was the standout — his hold-up play and link-up work set up both goals against Iran. The unglamorous kind of contribution that doesn't show up on a highlights reel but wins you the point.
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5This was also the first time Oceania has had a direct, automatic spot at the World Cup rather than a play-off against a CONCACAF team — no last-gasp miracle required to get here, for once. That alone is worth celebrating on its own terms.
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Top thing to say down the pub
New Zealand got to this World Cup without the usual heartbreaking play-off for once, then went and got a real point off Iran to show for it — genuinely worth a mention.
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Avoid saying
Don't say 'they were just making up the numbers' — a team that hadn't been to a World Cup since 2010 grabbing a point and a slice of history in their very first match deserves better than that.
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1Belgium's World Cup ran deeper than most — all the way to the quarterfinals, before losing 2-1 to Spain in Los Angeles on July 10. Fabián Ruiz put Spain ahead, Charles De Ketelaere equalised, and Mikel Merino's 88th-minute strike sent Belgium home. A genuinely good tournament ended on the smallest of margins.
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2The high point was the Round of 16 — a 4-1 demolition of co-hosts USA, with Charles De Ketelaere scoring twice. Beating a home team in the last 16, in front of its own fans, is exactly the kind of result that makes a tournament memorable.
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3Belgium's so-called golden generation — De Bruyne, Lukaku and company — has been fading for a few cycles now, so a quarterfinal run built around a new attacking focal point is a genuinely reassuring sign rather than a letdown, even in defeat to the team that went on to win it all.
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4Charles De Ketelaere is the name to know — scored in the Round of 16 rout of the USA and again in the quarterfinal against Spain, making him Belgium's most consistent attacking threat across the whole tournament.
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5Losing to Spain, who then went all the way to the final, is a defeat nobody would complain about. Belgium leave with their best run in years and a genuine successor to their aging core already delivering on the biggest stage.
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Top thing to say down the pub
Belgium go out in the quarterfinals to Spain by a single late goal, after De Ketelaere had just dragged them level — as exits go, that's about as good as losing gets.
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Avoid saying
Don't call this Belgium's golden generation's last stand — De Ketelaere just showed there's a next one, so 'the end of an era' undersells what was actually one of Belgium's better tournaments in years.