Belgium beat NZ to reach knockouts, Iran face anxious wait after Egypt draw
Belgium booked their place in the round of 32 at the FIFA World Cup with a merciless 5-1 demolition of New Zealand on Friday, while Iran faced an agonizing wait for their knockout fate after being held to a dramatic 1-1 draw by Egypt in the final Group G matches.
Leandro Trossard struck twice and Kevin De Bruyne pulled the strings in another impressive display as Belgium finished top of Group G on goal difference ahead of Egypt. The result sent both Belgium and Egypt into the last 32, while Iran must now wait to see if they progress as one of the top eight third-placed teams in the tournament.
BELGIUM TOP GROUP G
Belgium hardly put a foot wrong in Vancouver, underlining their status as one of the tournament’s most compelling teams so far. Peter Bosz’s side controlled possession from the opening whistle, pinning New Zealand deep in their own half and rarely giving the Kiwis an opportunity to equalise.
They thought they had the perfect chance to take the lead when the referee pointed to the penalty spot in the opening exchanges, but the decision was overturned after a VAR review. It turned out to be just a short delay.
The breakthrough finally came in the 28th minute. Kevin De Bruyne’s challenging corner caused confusion inside the New Zealand box, Tim Payne unable to clear his lines. The loose ball fell kindly for Leandro Trossard, who was quickest to react as he slotted home from close range to give Belgium a deserved lead.
If the opening goal rewarded Belgium’s persistence, the second showed their quality. Five minutes after the restart, De Bruyne slid a perfectly balanced pass into Trossard’s path. The Arsenal striker saw his initial effort blocked but stayed composed and smashed the rebound past Max Crocombe to double Belgium’s advantage.
After that, there was no going back to New Zealand. Belgium continued to dictate the pace, straining the defense with crisp passing before De Bruyne finally added his name to the scoresheet in the 66th minute. The Manchester City midfielder swept a precise finish into the bottom corner from the edge of the penalty area after another point-and-shoot attack.
Elijah Just briefly gave the home crowd something to cheer about with a late consolation goal, but Belgium ensured there was no late drama. Substitute Romelu Lukaku restored the three-goal cushion before Alexis Saelemaekers completed the advance in the closing minutes to seal a comprehensive victory and confirm Belgium as Group G winners.
As Belgium celebrated another polished performance, all eyes soon turned to Seattle, where the battle for the second automatic qualification spot produced one of the tournament’s most dramatic finishes.
IT WAS HEARTBROKEN FOR IRAN
Iran came inches from securing automatic qualification for the round of 32, but a combination of woodwork and a heartbreaking VAR intervention forced them to settle for a breathless 1-1 draw against Egypt.
While the point sealed Egypt’s passage to the knockout stages as runners-up behind Belgium in Group G, Melli’s side now have to endure a tense wait to see if they advance as one of the top eight third-placed teams in the tournament.
It was a frenetic, grueling affair on the Lumen pitch, full of early drama. Egypt took the lead after just five minutes when Mahmoud Saber fired a low effort through the legs of Alireza Beiranvand. Iran responded immediately and were presented with a golden opportunity to equalize when Mehdi Taremi won a penalty, only for the striker to uncharacteristically miss from the spot.
Iran refused to take the blow lying down. Just 135 seconds later, Milad Mohammadi’s looping effort found its way kindly to Ramin Rezaeian, who made no mistake as he tucked in the loose ball to level the scores.
The second half was defined by agonizing near-misses for Iran as they relentlessly searched for a winner to guarantee their progress. It just wasn’t Taremi’s day. Minutes before the end of regulation time, the forward brilliantly rose above a sea of red shirts to take a corner, only to watch his powerful header hit the crossbar and bounce away.
The greatest cruelty came in the second minute of extra time. The Iranian bench erupted in celebration when Shoja Khalilzadeh pounced on the loose ball after a save by the Egyptian goalkeeper and fired it into the net. However, the celebrations were brutally cut short. A lengthy VAR review ruled Khalilzadeh offside, which erased the goal from the score and denied Iran what would have been a famous victory and an automatic place in the knockout stages.
IS SALAH INJURED?
For Egypt, the relief of qualification was tempered by a worrying injury scare for Mohamed Salah. The captain was substituted on the hour after appearing to tighten his left hamstring and spent the rest of the match on the bench with an ice pack attached to his leg, leaving Egypt anxiously awaiting an update ahead of the 32nd round.
Iran’s inability to convert their late pressure leaves them in a precarious position. With three points and a goal difference of zero, they are sixth in third place and must now watch the progress of the remaining groups to see if their World Cup journey will continue.
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Issued by:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
June 27, 2026 10:55 AM IST