Key events
In a nerve-jangling stalemate playing out at the moment, Cape Verde have leapfrogged Uruguay and landed in second spot in Group H while holding out Saudi Arabia. Find out whether the World Cup debutants will continue their journey, or whether Saudi Arabia can find a late goal to leap into second spot.
While we’re waiting for New Zealand and Belgium to draw closer, Uruguay are on the brink of a World Cup exit after falling behind against Spain. Follow along to find out whether they can find an equaliser to keep their last-32 dreams alive.
Preamble
Sam Lewis
Hello and welcome to the final match day of Group G with New Zealand taking on Belgium at BC Place in Vancouver. Kick-off for today’s match will be 8:00pm local time (11pm EDT/4am BST/1pm AEST).
This is the third and final match of Group G, with all four teams playing simultaneously to see who will qualify out of one of the tightest groups of this World Cup.
As it stands, just three points separate first from fourth, with Egypt (4) leading the group followed closely by Iran (2), Belgium (2), and New Zealand (1).
While a number of other fourth-placed teams have entered this final match day already eliminated thanks to Fifa’s new head-to-head ruling, there is still a ray of hope for New Zealand.
Their opening 2-2 draw against Iran, combined with Belgium’s two draws in their first two matches, means a win for the All Whites today could see them leapfrog the world number 10 and qualify for their first ever World Cup knock-outs.
Belgium, for their part, currently sit outside the best-ranked third-placed teams after two disappointing performances against Egypt (1-1) and Iran (0-0).
They will be particularly frustrated by their performance against Iran last week, which saw Nathan Ngoy receive a straight red card and a side stacked with stars fail to get past the stand-out Alireza Beiranvand in goal.
All of which is to say that both teams need a win today (though Belgium could settle for another draw) to progress to the round of 32.
Elsewhere, Egypt are also taking on Iran in Seattle to determine who could top the group and thus secure an easier opponent in the next stage. Jonathan Howcroft is leading that live blog here if you’d like to follow along with both.
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