As it turns out, Belgium might just be alright. Talk of a golden generation is long over and, to be fair, their first two World Cup results only furthered the idea that the Red Devils' time has passed. If Friday's group stage finale against New Zealand is any indication, though, Belgium's old guard might just have one last run at all of this.
By sweeping away New Zealand, 5-1, Belgium surged to the top of Group G while reclaiming their place as a team to watch this summer. One win over the group's fourth-place team won't erase all of the doubts this team was dealing with, but it sure will help as Belgium did build some confidence heading into the next phase of the World Cup.
The old guard helped get them there. Kevin De Bruyne provided one of the goals, scoring a goal that fans have been seeing for years. Then, off the bench, Romelu Lukaku was the one to put the cherry on top, scoring a thunderous header just seconds after entering the game. Those two have been doing their part for years but, on Friday, they also had help.
The star of the show, though, was Leandro Trossard. The winger scored twice, once on either side of halftime, to really lead the Belgium attack. Trossard, playing in his second World Cup, came in during the final days of that golden generation talk and, this time around, he was the clear Man of the Match.
Everyone seemingly played their part. Alexis Saelemaekers was the fifth goalscorer. Jeremy Doku created havoc on the wing. Charles De Ketelaere was a strong presence up top, while Hans Vanaken ran the midfield.
Belgium have long been a team of stars, and they still are. On Friday, those stars aligned to get this team back on track with some big help from the supporting cast, too.
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