Belgium arrived in Vancouver needing a result to guarantee top spot in Group G. They left with five goals, Leandro Trossard in inspired form, and a reminder that Kevin De Bruyne still bends matches to his will whenever he is given the space to do it.
New Zealand had shown enough resilience in this tournament to suggest they would not simply fold. For 28 minutes they held their shape. Then Trossard got the first, and the contest's shape became clear.
It was a goal without a recorded assist, which tells you Trossard created it largely himself. He doubled the lead five minutes into the second half, Hans Vanaken picking him out with the kind of pass that looks simple and rarely is. From that point New Zealand's task was arithmetically bleak and practically hopeless. Belgium's expected goals of 3.59 against New Zealand's 0.24 is the most honest summary of how lopsided this was. The All Whites produced just six shots across 90-odd minutes, two of which tested Courtois. Belgium had 34, with 22 of them coming from inside the box.
De Bruyne made it three in the 66th minute. He needed no assist; the goal came from the kind of intelligence that is difficult to track, let alone stop. It was Belgium's cleanest display of control, a third goal that effectively ended any lingering ambiguity about the group standings and about who was running this game.
New Zealand's one moment of genuine quality arrived at 84 minutes. Elijah Just, who had been their most persistent presence in the final third, pulled one back to make it 1-3. It was a crumb of consolation, and it lasted roughly 120 seconds. Substitute reinforcements extended the damage with two further goals, the contest already decided well before the end. The late changes ensured there was no ambiguity whatsoever in the final tally.
The fifth goal in the fourth minute of stoppage time was emphatic punctuation: 5-1, and Belgium top of Group G on five points, level with Egypt but ahead on goal difference. Garcia's squad had shown destructive depth, extending their control well after the result was settled.
For New Zealand, the numbers are brutal. Ten goals conceded across three group matches, just four scored, one point. Stamenić and Just both picked up yellows, but disciplinary records are beside the point. The All Whites were outclassed by a side operating at a different level throughout the evening.
Belgium's back four were rarely troubled enough to warrant individual scrutiny. The side passed at 88 per cent accuracy and stroked the ball around a pitch they never looked like losing. Jérémy Doku caused problems in the first hour before being sensibly rested; Matías Fernández-Pardo came on and contributed 37 useful minutes down the right. That rotation pattern only accelerated the damage.
The two players who shaped this match were Trossard and De Bruyne. Trossard's double before the 55-minute mark was composed and decisive. De Bruyne's third was a class apart, confirming Belgium's complete dominance. Between them they turned a World Cup group match into something closer to an exhibition by the hour mark, which is why Garcia withdrew both well before the 75th minute. It was the kind of rotation you only make when the game is already won and the knockout rounds are already on your mind.