VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Leandro Trossard world cup Started in this competition after coming on as a substitute four years ago – and his two goals. Friday night match against New Zealand He helped cement his legacy as one of Belgium’s best players of this era.
Trossard’s year has already been incredibly successful, winning the Premier League and reaching the UEFA Champions League final with Arsenal, making it one of the best seasons in the club’s history. He also scored one of the biggest goals of the season in the 1–0 win over West Ham, giving Arsenal the final victory they needed to win the Premier League for the first time since 2004.
His two goals on Friday helped Belgium rebuild their World Cup campaign after a disappointing start to two draws. He scored the first two goals against New Zealand, helping the Red Devils advance to the knockout stages as Group G winners.
“I feel really good. I think I’m growing for the tournament, and so am I,” Trossard said. “I’m really happy to be in first place and move on to the next round.”
Trossard, 31, first joined the Belgium national team in 2020 and quickly became a key contributor in Belgium’s 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign. He appeared as a substitute for the Red Devils in all three matches of the 2022 World Cup.
Belgium finished third overall in the 2018 World Cup, but despite expectations for a big breakthrough, they failed to advance to the final tournament in 2022. There was a risk that this trend would continue, but New Zealand’s defense was no match for Trossard when Belgium needed him most.
Trossard started all three group stage games for Belgium at this year’s World Cup, and his first goal on Friday was the first by a Belgian after playing more than 200 minutes.
In the 28th minute, the ball hit Trossard’s foot and he smashed it in from inside the six-yard box. He then scored his own rebound in the 50th minute, extending Belgium’s lead to two points.
Trossard has shown that he can deliver in the big moments, not only at club level, but also on the world’s biggest stages.
“I think he’s the best player in the Belgium national team since the World Cup started,” coach Rudi Garcia said on Friday. “Before the game I asked him to play more decisively, to be more challenging. Leandro has the perfect ability because he was able to score so many goals at Arsenal. That’s what he did tonight.”
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Ben Kule is a student at the University of Georgia’s Carmical Sports Media Institute.
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See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here
