VANCOUVER — Belgium has defeated New Zealand 5-1in Vancouver’s final World Cup group-stage match at BC Place.
The win for the European team means it will advance to the knockout round after taking top spot in Group H, but it has dashed the dreams of the Kiwis.
Though New Zealand has now been eliminated from the tournament, fan Andrew Millar says he’s still “immensely proud” of his team.
He travelled from the Oceania country to watch his team play Egypt and Belgium, calling the trip a “one-in-a-lifetime” experience — and highlighting that the last time its men’s team had qualified was 2010.
New Zealand fans appeared outnumbered by Belgium supporters in the sold-out crowd of 52,497 spectators.
The sound in the stadium grew loud when Belgium fans hit 149 decibels just before the 8 p.m. kickoff, according to the big screen, while New Zealand fans struck 125 decibels.
It was the fifth World Cup match played in Vancouver. BC Place will next host a round-of-32 knockout match featuring Switzerland on July 2, followed by a round-of-16 match on July 7.