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VANCOUVER — The U.S. men's national team got a clearer picture of what a deep World Cup run might look like on Friday, as Belgium dismantled New Zealand 5–1 to claim first place in Group G.
The victory, combined with Egypt's 1–1 stalemate with Iran in Seattle, set up a round of 32 showdown between Belgium and likely one of South Korea, Senegal, or Algeria at Seattle's Lumen Field, with the winner staying in the Pacific Northwest to face the victor of the USMNT's round of 32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Although Belgium entered as a heavy favorite, the team struggled to find the net early on. By the first hydration break, the Red Devils had unleashed seven shots on the New Zealand goal compared to none from the opposition. At halftime, Belgium led 1–0 and had held New Zealand to just a single touch in the attacking third.
It wasn't entirely straightforward in Vancouver, however. After Arsenal's Leandro Trossard bagged a brace and Kevin De Bruyne netted his first goal of the tournament, New Zealand's Elijah Just pulled the score back to 3–1 in the 84th minute. That result, paired with Egypt's draw against Iran, briefly dropped Belgium to second in Group G before Romelu Lukaku struck in the 86th minute to restore their top position.
Romelu Lukaku has now scored more World Cup goals for Belgium than any other player (6).
Marc Wilmots' record has been broken. 🇧🇪 pic.twitter.com/i1qwiKdStK
While he didn't find the scoresheet, the match also marked Jeremy Doku's return to the squad following his brief and controversial departure to the United Kingdom to be with his wife for the birth of their first child.
The display wasn't as polished as Belgium might have hoped, but both De Bruyne and Lukaku turned back the clock at key moments, providing the decisive contributions and silencing doubts surrounding what is likely to be their final World Cup appearance.
"They mean a lot [to the group]," Trossard said after the match, following Lukaku and De Bruyne becoming the first Belgian players to score in three separate World Cups. "I think we have such a good group at the moment, and everyone is important. You can see today, as well, the players coming from the bench, they are involved with goals as well, and assists, so we have to just keep on going and continue that into the next round."
Kevin De Bruyne Joins the Star Party
Belgium had not been poor across their first two draws against Egypt and Iran, but was left to regret its wastefulness after managing just one goal from 38 shots over those two games. De Bruyne, 33, had gone scoreless across eight attempts, while fellow veteran stars such as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo had already delivered for their respective nations.
While New Zealand represented far weaker opposition, the stunning long-range effort from the Napoli midfielder, along with the goal-laden outburst, could ignite an attacking resurgence for the Red Devils heading into the knockout stages.
"We scored on the opportunities, and once you score, maybe it gets a bit more easy, and we know in the first two games we were trying hard to create opportunities, but we weren't able to score these chances, so you get a bit tense," De Bruyne said.
"I was finding the right spaces, but they were defending it well, or I missed the chances. So it's good to score and to get the opportunity to help my team."
Is Belgium Looking Ahead to the USMNT?
Belgium would need to overcome one of Senegal, Algeria, or South Korea to advance to the round of 16, where they could potentially meet the USMNT. Yet, despite hammering manager Mauricio Pochettino's side 5–2 in a March friendly, they aren't looking too far ahead.
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"First, we have to win in the Round of 32. I don't know yet who we'll face, but it would be disrespectful to talk about the Round of 16," manager Rudi Garcia said when asked about the road ahead. "First, we've got to see who wins on the other side with the US, they'll be playing Bosnia and Herzegovina, and my old player Edin Džeko, and we don't even know yet who we'll play, so there's no need to say any more."
Should the USMNT get past Bosnia, they would feel reasonably confident against an aging Belgian squad, which could be tested by the demanding schedule of a condensed World Cup tournament against a Stars and Stripes side that has improved considerably since March.