The Egyptian national team finished the competitions of Group G of the 2026 World Cup, in second place, after drawing with Iran, today, Saturday, with a score of (11), to raise its score to five points, while the lead returned to the Belgian team, which won over New Zealand with a score of (51), and the "Red Devils" benefited from the goal difference from the Egyptian team (2 for Egypt and 4 for Belgium).
The group witnessed strong competition as all the teams were able to qualify for the second round, and the qualification of the Egyptian team was confirmed before the start of its match against Iran.
The Egyptian national team advanced quickly against Iran with the goal of carrying the signature of Mahmoud Saber from the fifth minute, but the Iranian team imposed strong pressure for the adjustment and the goalkeeper Mustafa Shoubert saved a penalty kick carried out by Mehdi Taremi, but did not prevent Ramin Rezaian from making the adjustment minutes later.
The competition continued until the last minutes of the match, where the Iranian national team scored a killer goal, but the referee canceled it due to offside in that case.
During this match, the Egyptian national team lost its star Mohamed Salah, who left injured at the beginning of the second half, and before him, Mohamed Abdel Moneim, who was replaced by Egyptian coach Hossam Hassan in the middle of the first half.
In the next round, the Egyptian national team will face its Australian counterpart on July 3, where the task of the "Pharaohs" seems relatively easy, while the Iranian team will wait for the results of the rest of the groups, to make sure that it is possible to qualify among the best third-place holders.
Belgium clinch the last 32 with a well-deserved win over New Zealand
The Belgian national team achieved a well-deserved victory over New Zealand by a score of 5-1, in the match that brought them together at the BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, Canada, within the competitions of the third and final round of Group G.
The Belgian national team imposed its advantage over the course of the first half, after controlling possession and creating a large number of chances, in contrast to the opponent's reliance on the defensive bloc and limited attempts at counter-attacks.
Belgium started the game with intense attacking pressure, almost opening the scoring early when Leandro Trossard's shot hit the right post in the 11th minute, before New Zealand goalkeeper Max Cromwell made a brilliant save from Kevin De Bruyne, then deflected Brandon Micheli's header moments later.
The Belgian attempts continued through Jeremy Doucou and Trossard, while the video referee intervened in the 21st minute to refuse to count a penalty in favor of Belgium, and the decisive moment came in the 28th minute, when Leandro Trossard took advantage of a confusion inside the box following the implementation of a corner kick, to deposit the ball from close range into the net, giving Belgium the lead.
After the goal, the Belgian team continued to dominate, and came close to consolidating the result through Hans Vanakken, Jeremy Doku, Kevin De Bruyne and Charles de Kitillary, but the remarkable brilliance of goalkeeper Cromcombe, coupled with the solidity of the New Zealand defence, prevented the net from shaking again.
On the other hand, the New Zealand national team was content with limited offensive attempts, most notably a corner kick in the 30th minute, without posing a real danger to the Belgian goal, to end the first half with a deserved lead for Belgium with a clean goal.
A sweeping second-half superiority
The Belgian national team started the second half strongly, and a few minutes after the start, Leandro Trossard succeeded in doubling the score in the 50th minute, when he followed a ball inside the box and settled it in the top corner of the goal, taking advantage of Hans Vanaken's pass, after his first attempt was bounced off by the defense.
The Belgian national team responded with continuous attacking pressure, as Arthur Thiat wasted more than one opportunity, while Kevin De Bruyne continued to threaten the goal with repeated shots, until he was able to score the third goal in the 66th minute with a wonderful left-footed shot from outside the box that settled in the bottom corner, confirming Belgium's superiority.
The final minutes witnessed mutual excitement, after the New Zealand national team reduced the difference in the 84th minute through Elijah Just, who took advantage of a corner kick to shoot a powerful ball into the net, but the Belgian response came quickly and decisively after just two minutes, when coach Brumelo Lukaku pushed off the bench, and the veteran striker only needed minutes to leave his mark, as he rose to a perfect cross from Nicolas Raskin and turned it with his head from close range into the goal in the 86th minute.
In the third minute of stoppage time, Belgium fired a mercy shot at New Zealand from a blitzkrieg counter-attack, with Romelu Lukaku brilliantly leading a quick attack to deliver a neat assist to teammate Alexis Salimikeres in the box, who did not hesitate to fire a creeping shot, capping the Red Devils' quintet in the final moments of the match.
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