De Bruyne scores as Belgium rout New Zealand in World Cup group stage

Kevin De Bruyne’s 66th-minute strike gave Belgium a 3-0 lead in Vancouver and sharpened the question hanging over this team: was this simply the sort of routine punishment a stronger side should deliver, or a sign that Rudi Garcia’s squad is starting to click at the right time? Belgium beat New Zealand 5-1 at BC Place on June 26, 2026, and booked a place in the World Cup knockout stage before the closing minutes had even settled.

Leandro Trossard set the tone with two first-half goals, finishing in the 28th minute and again in the 50th after Belgium had already seized control of the match. By halftime, Belgium had outshot New Zealand 15-0, a lopsided start that left little doubt about the balance of play. New Zealand spent most of the opening half pinned back, with Belgium dictating the tempo and forcing the game into a long defensive exercise for Darren Bazeley’s side.

De Bruyne’s goal was the night’s most telling moment. Trossard created it, and De Bruyne finished with the kind of calm touch that has long defined Belgium’s expectations in major tournaments. It was a short, decisive appearance, and Garcia took him off in the 71st minute for Amadou Onana, a move that made clear Belgium was already thinking beyond this match and into the next phase of the competition.

New Zealand finally broke through in the 84th minute through Elijah Just, but Belgium answered immediately. Romelu Lukaku made it 4-1 in the 86th minute, and Alexis Saelemaekers closed the scoring in the 90th minute plus four. Garcia had already used Saelemaekers earlier in the second half as part of a double change with Onana, another sign that Belgium’s bench was being managed with the knockout stage in mind.

The result left Belgium on five points in Group G and New Zealand on one. The scoreline was emphatic, but the more relevant detail for Belgium was how the game unfolded: a dominant first half, a De Bruyne goal that underscored the team’s ceiling, and a bench that allowed Garcia to conserve key minutes while still finishing the job.