Trossard stars as De Bruyne and Lukaku lead Belgium to 5-1 win

Belgium swept aside New Zealand 5-1 to top Group G and reclaim a place as a team to watch this summer. One win over the group’s fourth-place team won’t erase all doubts, but it gave the squad a needed confidence boost heading into the next phase of the World Cup.

Kevin De Bruyne scored a vintage goal, and Romelu Lukaku came off the bench to head home seconds after entering. The veterans helped set the tone, but Leandro Trossard was the clear Man of the Match, scoring twice — once on either side of halftime.

Contributions arrived across the pitch. Alexis Saelemaekers added the fifth goal, Jeremy Doku caused problems on the wing, Charles De Ketelaere provided a focal point up front, and Hans Vanaken drove the midfield.

Thibaut Courtois and the defence had relatively little to do, while substitutes including Lukaku and Nicolas Raskin made immediate impacts. Roberto Martinez managed his changes well as Belgium look to build on this result.

Belgium

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