VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Fifteen months after sitting on the bench for every match of Belgium’s underwhelming 2022 World Cup run, Leandro Trossard has cemented his status as one of the most impactful players of his generation for the Belgian national team, delivering a two-goal performance that dragged his side into the tournament’s knockout round with a dominant 5-1 Group G victory over New Zealand on Friday night.
Trossard’s 2024-2025 club season already stands as one of the most successful individual campaigns for any player in European top-flight soccer. As a key member of Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal squad, he lifted the Premier League trophy — the club’s first top-flight title since 2004 — and helped the Gunners reach the UEFA Champions League final. His most critical club goal came in a 1-0 win over West Ham United, the three points that ultimately sealed Arsenal’s long-awaited league crown.
Heading into Friday’s final group stage match, Belgium’s World Cup campaign hung in the balance. After opening the group stage with two underwhelming draws, the 2018 World Cup third-place finishers faced the very real possibility of repeating their 2022 disappointment, when they crashed out in the group stage despite being labeled pre-tournament title contenders. To make matters worse, Belgium had gone more than 200 minutes of game time without finding the back of the net, a dry spell that left them struggling to climb the Group G table.
That all changed the moment Trossard found the ball at his feet inside the 6-yard box in the 28th minute. He tapped home the opening goal of the match, breaking Belgium’s long scoring drought. Twenty-two minutes later, he pounced on his own rebound to slot home his second, doubling Belgium’s lead and setting the Red Devils on course for a comfortable 5-1 win. The result pushed Belgium to the top of the Group G standings, locking in their spot in the knockout round.
The 31-year-old’s journey to this moment has been steady. He earned his first senior cap for Belgium in 2020, quickly emerged as a reliable contributor during the team’s 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign, and served exclusively as a substitute across all three of the Red Devils’ group matches in Qatar four years ago. This tournament, he has earned a starting spot in every group stage match, and repaid his manager’s faith with his decisive performance against New Zealand.
“I feel very good, I think we’re growing into the tournament, myself as well,” Trossard said after the final whistle. “We’re really happy to come first and go to the next round.”
Belgium manager Rudi Garcia heaped praise on the in-form forward after the match, highlighting his ability to deliver under pressure at both the club and international level. “I think he’s the best player of the Belgian selection since the beginning of the World Cup,” Garcia said. “Before the match, I asked him to be more decisive in his play, to be more challenging. Leandro was really able to score a lot at Arsenal, so he’s perfectly capable, and that is what he did tonight.”
Trossard’s clutch display on soccer’s biggest stage confirms what club observers have known all season: the forward has become one of the most dangerous big-game players in the sport, capable of lifting his team when they need it most.