Just scores late as Belgium beats New Zealand 5-1 at World Cup

Elijah Just’s 84th-minute finish gave New Zealand a brief lift at BC Place, but Belgium had already put the match beyond reach on June 27, 2026, winning 5-1 to finish first in Group G. Leandro Trossard scored in the 28th and 50th minutes, Kevin De Bruyne added Belgium’s third in the 66th, Romelu Lukaku followed in the 86th and Alexis Saelemaekers completed the rout in stoppage time.

For New Zealand, Just’s goal was more than a consolation. It came from a corner and followed the attacker’s breakout moment earlier in the tournament, when he scored twice in the 2-2 draw with Iran and became the first New Zealander to score two goals in a World Cup match. FIFA had already identified Just as a key creative threat for the All Whites, and coach Darren Bazeley and captain Chris Wood both praised his impact before kickoff, with Wood pointing to his role in qualification and his season with Motherwell.

Belgium arrived in Vancouver as one of FIFA’s “potencias continentales,” and the gap in experience showed over 90 minutes. This was New Zealand’s first World Cup since 2010, and the All Whites are still chasing a first victory at the tournament. Belgium, by contrast, was making its 16th World Cup appearance and looked every bit the more settled side, controlling the game after Trossard’s first-half opener and pressing its advantage after the break.

De Bruyne’s goal carried its own marker of history. At 34 years and 363 days, he became the oldest player ever to score for Belgium in a World Cup. That moment summed up the evening for New Zealand: even when the scoreline was long gone, Belgium kept finding another layer of quality, while the All Whites could only search for the next small sign that they belonged on this stage.

The result sent Belgium into the round of 16 as Group G winner and set up a July 1 meeting in Seattle with the third-place team from Groups A, E, H, I or J. New Zealand left eliminated, but Just’s late strike offered one clear answer to the question of what remains salvageable against elite opposition: a player with the touch and timing to turn a dead-ball moment into something that briefly changes the feel of the game.