Belgium burst into life at World Cup with De Bruyne's masterclass against New Zealand

Belgium surged to the top of Group G at the World Cup with a commanding 5-1 victory over New Zealand, a performance that finally ignited their campaign after two uninspiring draws. Kevin De Bruyne orchestrated the team's resurgence, pulling the strings in a masterful display that secured their advancement.

Coach Rudi Garcia's tactical adjustments, including starting Leandro Trossard and later bringing on Romelu Lukaku, opened up new attacking avenues for De Bruyne. By the end of the match, all three forwards had contributed to the scoreline. Garcia praised the veteran players, noting their significant impact, but stressed that the team has "haven't won anything yet" despite advancing.

“

They are so wonderful for a nation as ours, and they delivered tonight, Leandro, De Bruyne, Lukaku - this is what the so-called 'oldies' did tonight. We haven't won anything yet, but we moved on to the next phase.

De Bruyne was the undeniable standout, playing a crucial role in Trossard's two goals and adding Belgium's third. His performance included a dizzying array of passes that left the New Zealand defense struggling to keep pace. Although he missed some earlier chances, he eventually found the net in the 66th minute with a powerful left-foot shot.

Lukaku extended the lead shortly after coming off the bench, marking a historic achievement as he and De Bruyne became the first Belgians to score in three World Cups. Alexis Saelemaekers added a fifth goal in stoppage time. Trossard highlighted the team's strong group dynamic, emphasizing that every player contributes, whether starting or coming off the bench, and urged the team to maintain their momentum into the next stage.

“

We're just really happy with everyone. I think we have such a good group at the moment. Everyone is important, you can see today as well - the players coming from the bench, they are involved with goals and assists as well, so, yeah, we have to just keep on going and continue that into the next game.