Belgium produced a commanding display to secure a place in the World Cup knockout stage, thrashing New Zealand 5-1 in their final Group G match on Friday.
Leandro Trossard led the way with two goals as the Red Devils finally found their scoring touch after a sluggish start to the tournament.
Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Saelemaekers also got on the scoresheet in a dominant performance.
The emphatic victory saw Belgium finish top of Group G and book a Round of 32 clash against one of the tournament’s third-placed teams in Seattle on Wednesday.
The result, coupled with Egypt’s 1-1 draw against Iran in the group’s other final match, ensured Belgium advanced as group winners.
Belgium had entered the game under pressure after drawing their opening two matches, 1-1 against Egypt and 0-0 against Iran, leaving them unexpectedly third in the standings before kickoff.
After the disappointment of failing to progress beyond the group stage at the 2022 World Cup, the Belgians responded in style, delivering their most convincing performance of the competition so far.
Elijah Just scored New Zealand’s lone goal, but it was little consolation for the All Whites, who needed a victory to keep their hopes alive.
They leave the tournament still searching for their first-ever World Cup win.
