New Zealand out of World Cup after Belgium rout

Belgium 5–1, and it's over

Your World Cup ends here. Belgium demolished New Zealand 5–1 in the second Group G match, eliminating the All Whites from the tournament (1) (2). Leandro Trossard opened the scoring and Belgium never looked back (1) (3). De Bruyne ran the game (2). Tim Payne and the backline had no answer for the waves of Belgian attacks (1). One group-stage match remains, but it cannot change the equation, New Zealand are going home.

A tournament that promised more

It started with real belief. Finn Surman's header gave New Zealand an early lead against Egypt in the opener, and for 45 minutes the All Whites looked like they belonged. Elijah Just was a constant threat down the flank. Ben Old left that match with ripped shorts and a bloody kit, a snapshot of the physical commitment. Then Salah turned it around for Egypt, and Belgium finished the job.

Fan reactions

The Reddit threads captured the gap in class. One fan posted De Bruyne's 42nd-minute chance that nearly made it worse (r/soccer). Another shared the goal-line graphic from Belgium's near-goal, a moment that summed up the pressure New Zealand faced (r/soccer). A VAR-overturned penalty in the 23rd minute offered brief hope, but that was as close as it got to a reprieve (r/soccer). Read the full thread.