Belgium crush New Zealand 5-1 to top World Cup group with dominant display

Belgium produced a ruthless attacking performance to sweep aside New Zealand 5-1 in Match Round 3 of the World Cup, a result that underlined their status as serious contenders and secured top spot in the group.

• New Zealand will play with . , on .
• Belgium will play with . , on .

New Zealand

• Maxime Teremoana Crocombe (5.7)
• Timothy John Payne (6.2)
• Finn Surman (6.3)
• Tyler Bindon (6.2)
• Liberato Gianpaolo Cacace (6.6)
• Joe Zen Robert Bell (6.5)
• Marko Seufatu Nikola Stamenić (6.9)
• Sarpreet Singh (7.2)
• Ryan Jared Thomas (6.7)
• Elijah Henry Just (7.3)
• Christopher Grant Wood (6.6)

Belgium

Substitutions:

New Zealand

• Sarpreet Singh (Jesse Randall, 46)
• Ryan Jared Thomas (Benjamin Craig Old, 46)
• Timothy John Payne (Michael Joseph Boxall, 64)
• Joe Zen Robert Bell (Callum William McCowatt, 64)
• Liberato Gianpaolo Cacace (Francis de Vries, 79)

Belgium

• Jérémy Baffour Doku (Matias Fernandez-Pardo, 56)
• Leandro Trossard (Alexis Jesse Saelemaekers, 72)
• Kevin De Bruyne (Amadou Ba Zeund Georges Mvom Onana, 72)
• Charles Marc De Ketelaere (Romelu Menama Lukaku Bolingoli, 85)
• Youri Marion A. Tielemans (Nicolas Thierry Raskin, 85)

Ball possession:

Arthur Nicolas Theate was at the heart of an onslaught that saw Belgium register 34 attempts – nine on target – as they overwhelmed a spirited but overmatched New Zealand side who struggled to live with the intensity and variety of Roberto Martínez’s team.

Passes:

New Zealand, who bowed out of the tournament with this defeat, could not match Belgium’s aggression in both penalty areas despite having promising spells of possession and showing real fight in individual duels.

Defense:

### Belgium’s class tells after early pressure

Face-to-face:

Belgium took control of the contest from the outset, pinning New Zealand back and forcing the back line into constant emergency defending.

Fouls:

Yellow cards:

• Marko Seufatu Nikola Stamenić (New Zealand) at 46 minute
• Elijah Henry Just (New Zealand) at 56 minute

The last five games (including this match):

• New Zealand –
• Belgium –

Top 5 World Cup scorers:

1. Masour Ousmane Dembélé (3, )
2. Pape Alassane Gueye (2, )
3. Leandro Trossard (2, )
4. Vinícius José Paixão de Oliveira Júnior (2, )
5. Nicolas Pépé (2, )

Line-ups:

Next games:

• New Zealand will play with . , on .
• Belgium will play with . , on .