Doku returns as Belgium face New Zealand crunch match

Doku back with the squad tonight

Jérémy Doku is back. The winger left the World Cup camp briefly to attend the birth of his son in London and returns to join the Belgium squad on Tuesday evening (10) (13) (14). He'll be available for the must-win New Zealand match on Saturday.

Win or go home against New Zealand

Your team faces a do-or-die match against New Zealand on Saturday, kick-off 5am Belgian time (1). Two draws so far, against Egypt and Iran, mean Belgium must win to be certain of reaching the round of 32. Charles De Ketelaere, who missed training earlier, looks to be getting fit for the match (1).

A draw might still do the job

The maths offers a lifeline. Even a draw against New Zealand gives Belgium a 99.1% chance of advancing as one of the best third-placed teams (12). Not the scenario anyone wanted, but it takes some pressure off.

Tielemans: "We should be happy just to qualify"

Captain Youri Tielemans did not sugarcoat it after the Iran draw. "We should be happy just to qualify," he said, refusing to be drawn into the criticism aimed at Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne (2) (4). The mood in camp is heavy.

Vanhaezebrouck: "Lukaku's words showed fear"

Former coach Hein Vanhaezebrouck pulled no punches. "I was disappointed. Romelu Lukaku's statement showed fear," he said, adding that he would start Hans Vanaken in the New Zealand match (7). He is not alone in calling for changes.

Ngoy suspended, training sloppy

Nathan Ngoy will miss the New Zealand match through suspension after his red card against Iran. He admitted he was "disappointed to have let the team down this way" (8). Meanwhile, reports from Seattle describe the final training session as worryingly sloppy (3).

Garcia under pressure as criticism grows

Rudi Garcia is feeling the heat. Tom Boudeweel summed it up: "A coach is always judged on results, and right now they are simply not good" (4). The Iran draw was described as a slap in the face. Tactics, game management, everything is being questioned.

Fan-reaktioner

Belgium fans are bracing for the worst. The top-voted Reddit thread on the World Cup subreddit asks bluntly whether Belgium is becoming "Chile 2.0," a fallen power in irreversible decline. A separate poll among Belgian supporters found one third expect the team to crash out in the group stage (11). See the full discussion