World Cup – Trossard scores twice, Belgium 5-1 New Zealand to advance as world champions.

In the third round of Group G at the 2026 World Cup, Belgium easily defeated New Zealand 5-1 at BC Stadium in Vancouver, Canada. They topped the group on goal difference, ahead of Egypt who also had 5 points, and advanced to the knockout stage.

New Zealand finished with only 1 point after this match, ranking last and failing to advance to the round of 32.

Belgium started strong and repeatedly threatened the New Zealand goal. In the 11th minute, Hans Wanaken played a through ball from the edge of the box, and Leandro Trossard's shot from a tight angle hit the right post. In the 13th minute, Kevin De Bruyne's shot from the edge of the box was saved by Max Crocombe. In the 16th minute, Charles de Catellar passed the ball to the left side of the box, and Jeremy Doku's low shot was again saved by Crocombe.

In the 28th minute, De Bruyne's corner kick from the left caused Tim Payne to make a clearance error, and Trossard pounced on the rebound to give Belgium the lead. The Red Devils were unable to extend their lead thereafter, and the first half ended with them leading 1-0.

The second half began with both sides switching ends. Just five minutes into the second half, Belgium, after a brief respite, broke through the opponent's defense again: De Bruyne delivered a diagonal pass, and Trossard, after shaking off Finn Sullman in the penalty area, scored his second goal. In the 66th minute, De Bruyne scored with a long-range shot from the edge of the penalty area, extending the lead to 3-0.

The second half saw a series of dramatic moments. In the 84th minute, Jesse Randall's corner kick from the left was saved by Thibaut Courtois, but Elijah Juste followed up to score for New Zealand. Just one minute later, Nicolas Rascan delivered a long cross from the left side of the penalty area, and Romelu Lukaku headed it in at the far post to extend the lead. In the fourth minute of stoppage time, Lukaku passed the ball to the right side of the penalty area, and Alex Saelemaekers fired a shot into the net to seal the victory. At the final whistle, Belgium defeated New Zealand 5-1, eliminating them from the competition.

Image source: Internet