Belgium tops Group G, setting up a possible USMNT meeting in the round of 16 at the World Cup
In Belgium It topped Group G with a 5-1 win New Zealand of World Cup on Friday, to pass Egypt where they drew 1-1 Iran in simultaneous kicking.
Leandro Trossard scored twice for Belgium and star player Kevin de Bruyne added a third in the 66th minute, the European side determined to win – and their first of the tournament after Egypt’s draw with Iran. Just Elijah drew New Zealand in the 84th minute but Romelu Lukaku’s next goals and Alexis Saelemaekers ensured that Rudi Garcia’s side will not be too busy en route to the knockouts. The scoreline showed a performance where the Belgians outscored their opponents 35 to six and accumulated an expected 3.65 goals to New Zealand’s 0.25.
Belgium’s goal difference eventually went to Egypt, who entered Friday’s games in first place with four points, while the European team only had two. Egypt got another point with a draw against Iran, although Iran played well – they might have gone 15 to 12 but Iran’s chances were at a high level, ending up with an expected goals of 1.83 to Egypt’s 0.81. Mohamed SalahEgypt’s leading scorer at the World Cup, took just one shot on a day as Iran’s defense limited their attacking efforts.
Belgium and Egypt both advance as group winners and runners-up, respectively, while Iran will have to wait until Saturday’s games to see if their three points from three draws will be enough to see them through to the knockout stages. Belgium are likely to face South Korea, the third-placed team in Group A, on Wednesday at Seattle’s Lumen Field, while Egypt will face Group D runners-up. Australia on July 3 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
The results mean Belgium are now on course to face the US men’s national team in the round of 16, if both teams make it through their round of 32. I SMNT they are expected to face Bosnia and Herzegovina, who recently entered the World Cup, on Wednesday at Levi’s Stadium in the San Francisco area.
Should Belgium face the USMNT, the match will be a rematch of the March friendly between the two teams. The USMNT scored first but went on to lose 5-2 after being tied 1-1 at halftime, the game unraveling quickly as Belgium scored three goals in 15 minutes. Weston McKennie and Patrick Agyemang, the latter suffering from a long-term Achilles injury ahead of the World Cup, scored on a day that saw the U.S. team change. Only six World Cup starters so far have started against Belgium in a friendly in March, with a very different version of the USMNT likely to play that day if both teams advance.
It will also mark the first World Cup meeting between the teams since the round of 16 match in 2014, when Belgium beat the USMNT 2-1 at the Arena Fonte Nova in Salvador. Brazilin overtime. The teams drew 0-0 after 90 minutes but the floodgates opened after that, with De Bruyne and Lukaku scoring for the Belgians before the often forgotten Julian Green scored his only World Cup goal. In that game, Tim Howard set the World Cup record for most saves in 16 games. The two countries met again in the 1930 World Cup, the first ever, where the US won 3-0.
