Belgium finally woke up. After two flat group games, they smashed New Zealand 5-1, jumped to the top of Group G, and suddenly the R32 fantasy picture looks very different.
Leandro Trossard was the headline with two goals, Kevin De Bruyne scored, Romelu Lukaku came off the bench to score and assist, and Belgium turned a nervous final group game into a statement win.
Here are the Demon Notes from New Zealand 1-5 Belgium: Trossard exploding, De Bruyne ticking, Lukaku arriving late, Belgium's TBC R32 route, and what it means for Qualification Booster and Clean Sheet Shield.
New Zealand 1-5 Belgium
- Goals: Leandro Trossard x2, Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, Alexis Saelemaekers; Elijah Just for New Zealand
- Group G: Belgium finish top with 5 points and qualify for the round of 32
- R32 route: Belgium face a TBC third-place team from Groups A/I/J in the current bracket logic
- New Zealand finish bottom and are eliminated
- Fantasy story: Belgium attackers are back in the conversation, but the opponent is still TBC
Team Stats
Player Stats
| Player | Pos | Price | Output | Match stats | Fantasy verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leandro Trossard | MID | 7.5m | 2 goals | 7 shots; Belgium's main finisher on the night | Huge R32 watchlist jump if minutes hold |
| Kevin De Bruyne | MID | 9.0m | Goal | Scored from range and controlled the game before coming off | Still the safest Belgium creator |
| Romelu Lukaku | FWD | 8.5m | Goal + assist | Scored with his first touch and assisted the fifth | Explosive, but role/minutes need watching |
| Alexis Saelemaekers | MID | 6.5m | Goal | Late fifth from the bench | Nice real-life impact, not a core fantasy pick yet |
| Thibaut Courtois | GK | 5.5m | Conceded 1 | Belgium allowed 0.25 xG but lost the clean sheet | Shield only, not normal clean-sheet chasing |
| Elijah Just | MID | 5.5m | Goal | Third World Cup goal for New Zealand | Great tournament, but New Zealand are out |
Demon Notes
- Trossard is the biggest riser. Two goals and seven shots is enough to force him into the R32 conversation.
- De Bruyne looked more like De Bruyne. If Belgium's route lands nicely, he is the cleanest minutes/profile pick.
- Lukaku is the chaos pick. Goal and assist in less than ten minutes is exactly the ceiling, but the start risk matters.
- Belgium's Clean Sheet Shield case is better than the scoreline suggests. They conceded, but the underlying xG allowed was tiny.
- New Zealand are done for R32 fantasy, even though Elijah Just had a brilliant individual tournament.
Round Of 32 Fantasy Angle
Belgium are through as Group G winners, but their opponent is not cleanly locked in our Demon data yet. The current route says they face a third-place team from Groups A, I or J, so we are keeping the opponent as TBC until the bracket fully settles.
That matters for the planner. Belgium get a strong provisional advance percentage because the Group G winner route is attractive, but we should not pretend the opponent is official. Trossard, De Bruyne and maybe Lukaku are the names to check once the fixture lands.