Belgium have produced a dominant display against the All Whites in Vancouver to send them home from the tournament with a 5-1 win in their third and final group stage match.
The Red Devils scored five goals against the All Whites in a one-sided contest where the Kiwis were under the pump from the opening whistle.
Elijah Just added to his World Cup goal tally, earning the All Whites a consolation goal with his third goal of the tournament.
Highlights: Just's thunderous goal as NZ outclassed by Belgium - Watch on TVNZ+
The 10th in the world ranked side had 35 shots in the match, with All Whites goalkeeper Max Crocombe called into action on a number of occasions in the first half.
Tyler Bindon cleared the ball off the line to keep the score level after Leandro Trossard’s shot trickled across the line after bouncing off the post.
A penalty was initially awarded to Belgium in the 22nd minute with Trossard’s shot striking Finn Surman’s elbow. After an off-field review, referee Adham Makhadmeh reversed his decision as he deemed Surman’s arm to be in a natural position.
The European heavyweights had a poor start to the tournament with two draws, so they were eager to turn their World Cup around with a good performance against the All Whites.
Belgium were finally able to convert its attacking pressure into a goal with Trossard being the first to react to the ball after a corner, lashing the ball home from close range into the roof of the net in the 28th minute.
The All Whites did well to recover some momentum after the goal, but still failed to fire a shot of any kind at Thibaut Courtois in Belgium’s goal. In comparison, the Red Devils managed 16 shots in the first 45 minutes alone.
All Whites head coach Darren Bazeley made two changes to his starting 11 coming into this match, with Tyler Bindon replacing Michael Boxall in defence and Ryan Thomas starting over Callum McCowatt in midfield.
The All Whites took on Belgium in Vancouver with a kickoff at 3pm today. (Source: 1News)
Belgium started the second half firing, and it didn’t take them long to double their lead and secure their place in the Round of 32. Trossard grabbed his second goal with a tidy finish after cheating the ball down and volleying it into the roof of the net.
Veteran midfielder Kevin De Bruyne put the Red Devils 3-0 up in the 66th minute with a great left-footed strike from the edge of the box, putting the result out of reach for the All Whites.
The All Whites did hit the back of the net in their final match of the tournament, with Eli Just lashing home a volley following a corner to give the All Whites fans at BC Place something to cheer.
However, Belgium were still pushing to top the group, and substitute Romelu Lukaku replied instantly with his first touch as he found space in the box to head the ball down past Crocombe.
Belgium wasn’t done there, with Alexis Saelemaekers putting an exclamation mark on the win with essentially the last kick of the game, turning a strike from the edge of the box into the net.
The Red Devils secured top spot in Group G as they had better goal difference over Egypt, who have to settle for second place after a 1-1 draw with Iran in Seattle. The All Whites finish bottom of the group with the one point they earned in their 2-2 draw with Iran in Los Angeles.
Belgium will now play a third-ranked team from another group in Seattle, with Egypt taking on Australia in Dallas.
All Whites 1 (Just 84’) Belgium 5 (Trossard 28’ 50’, De Bruyne 66’, Lukaku 86’, Saelemaekers 90+4’) HT 0-1
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