Belgium were utterly dominant from first whistle to last at a sold-out BC Place, delivering a masterclass in structured attacking football that New Zealand had no answer to. Domenico Tedesco set his side up in a fluid 4-3-3 that quickly morphed into a 3-2-5 in possession, overloading every line of New Zealand's compact 4-4-2 block. Kevin De Bruyne, operating as a deep-lying playmaker from the right half-space, was the orchestrator throughout — his range of passing and movement off the ball was simply a level above anything the All Whites could handle. The opener arrived on 18 minutes: De Bruyne threaded a perfectly weighted through-ball between the lines, and Romelu Lukaku — back to his battering-ram best — held off Tyler Bindon before slamming low past Max Crocombe. New Zealand tried to stay organised in the second half but Jérémy Doku's electric pace made that impossible. On 54 minutes, Leandro Trossard played a quick one-two with Youri Tielemans on the left, slid the ball into Doku's run, and the Manchester City winger cut inside Cacace and finished with his right foot into the far corner. The third goal was a thing of beauty: a De Bruyne free-kick from 25 yards that dipped viciously over the wall and into the top-right corner on 78 minutes, leaving Crocombe rooted to the spot. Chris Wood battled gamely throughout — winning headers, holding up play — but was starved of service. New Zealand will need to regroup quickly; Belgium look like genuine contenders to top Group G and go deep in the tournament.

• Belgium dominated possession (68%) and created 19 shots — a gulf in class that the scoreline barely flatters.
• Kevin De Bruyne registered a goal and an assist, pulling the strings from deep with characteristic authority.
• Romelu Lukaku bullied the NZL centre-backs all night, winning 9 of 11 aerial duels and scoring the opener.
• Jérémy Doku completed 7 of 8 dribble attempts, tormenting Liberato Cacace down Belgium's left channel.
• New Zealand's only shot on target came from a 67th-minute Chris Wood header — a consolation that never was.
• Max Crocombe made 5 saves to prevent an even heavier defeat; without him it could have been 5 or 6.
• Belgium's xG of 3.21 was the highest recorded by any team in a Group G opener.