New Zealandvs
BelgiumThere was never really a match here. Belgium arrived at BC Place with a point to make, and by the time the second half was twenty minutes old, New Zealand were simply trying to survive.
Our pre-match read made Belgium the clear favorite at 81%, and they left absolutely no doubt.
Trossard Takes Over
The opening goal came in the 28th minute — Leandro Trossard, clinical and unhurried, finishing to put Belgium ahead with what felt like the first serious chance they wanted to take. New Zealand had the ball plenty in the first half, 45% possession and five corners, but six shots and just two on target tell the real story. They were organized without ever threatening.
The second half opened with Marko Stamenic picking up a yellow card in the 46th minute, and from there New Zealand were managing bodies as much as the scoreline. Trossard made it 2-0 in the 50th minute, this time with Hans Vanaken supplying the assist, and the match was effectively settled.
Kevin De Bruyne added the third in the 66th minute — no assist credited, just De Bruyne doing what De Bruyne does when the space opens up. Elijah Just was booked in the 56th minute somewhere in between, a sign of New Zealand's growing frustration.
The Final Half-Hour
At 3-0, Belgium had 35 shots on the night and 10 on target. New Zealand's goalkeeper made five saves. Cabal, that number tells you everything about the one-way traffic in Vancouver.
Credit to New Zealand for refusing to fold entirely. Elijah Just — the same player who'd been cautioned earlier — scored a consolation in the 84th minute to make it 3-1 and give the crowd at BC Place something to cheer. But the response was almost immediate: Romelu Lukaku headed home from a Nicolas Raskin assist in the 86th minute to restore the three-goal cushion, and then Alexis Saelemaekers finished off a Lukaku lay-off in the 90th+4th minute to seal the 5-1 final.
Qué exhibición de Trossard — two goals, a constant menace, the best player on the pitch by a comfortable margin.
Belgium's passing numbers reflected their control throughout: 526 passes at 90% accuracy to New Zealand's 435 at 80%. The Belgians also committed just seven fouls to New Zealand's ten, which speaks to how rarely they needed to scramble.
Verdict
New Zealand's form coming in — one win in their last five — suggested a difficult night, and that is exactly what they got. They will feel the margin flattered Belgium slightly; the consolation was genuine, and they competed for stretches. But at this level, competing for stretches is not enough. Belgium, meanwhile, will head into the next round with serious momentum and the kind of goal difference that matters when groups tighten up. The question now is whether they can carry this kind of sharpness against better opposition — because opponents with more than six shots will ask harder questions.
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