Belgium walked out at King Baudouin Stadium on Saturday afternoon with something to prove. This is a squad carrying the weight of a nation still waiting for a “Golden Generation” to finally deliver — and deliver they did, spectacularly, against Tunisia. Five goals. Five different scorers. One absolutely electric Jérémy Doku. Consider the World Cup on notice.
Doku Breaks Loose, Trossard Breaks the Deadlock
Belgium were at it within seconds. Leandro Trossard tested goalkeeper Abdelmouhib Chamakh just 44 seconds in — a stinging effort brilliantly tipped behind. The tone was set. Belgium controlled everything: the ball, the width, the tempo. Only Chamakh and some wayward finishing kept it goalless into the late twenties.
Then, in the 28th minute, Doku did what Doku does. He picked up the ball on the left, danced past his marker with that electrifying change of pace, and slid a perfectly-weighted low cross to Trossard, who guided a composed right-footed finish into the net. Brussels erupted. 1–0. And that was just the beginning.
Second Half: The Floodgates Open
Belgium came out in the second half not just looking to win — they looked like a team trying to destroy a punching bag before the real fight. De Ketelaere headed home a gorgeous Youri Tielemans delivery eight minutes in: head, top-right corner, goalkeeper helpless. Belgium 2–0. At that point, a Tunisia comeback felt as likely as snow in Tunis in July.
Tunisia had a rare moment of hope in the 58th minute when Elias Achouri rattled the post, but any lingering belief evaporated minutes later when midfielder Ismaël Gharbi was shown a second yellow card for a rough challenge on Doku, leaving Tunisia to battle on with ten men for the final half-hour.
Belgium, ruthlessly professional, immediately exploited the space. De Bruyne — given a vast acre of room outside the box — rifled his trademark precision strike to make it 3–0 in the 65th minute, pumping his fist to a roaring King Baudouin crowd. Romelu Lukaku was introduced to a thunderous ovation and — in classic Lukaku fashion — almost scored in injury time before taking too long with the shot. But even the big man’s near-miss barely registered. This was already a party.
What It Means for Belgium
This is a Belgium squad that has spent years listening to questions about unfulfilled potential. The legendary “Golden Generation” of De Bruyne, Lukaku and co. never won a major tournament — a source of national pain that still stings. This looks like a different, hungrier team, and Rudi Garcia appears to have found the right balance: youthful pace from Doku and De Ketelaere, creative authority from De Bruyne, and the ever-looming presence of Lukaku off the bench.
Belgium open their 2026 World Cup campaign against Egypt on June 15 in Seattle. If they perform anything like this, Egypt — who themselves just lost 2–1 to Brazil — will need to find a miracle. The Red Devils are coming. And they are ravenous. 🇧🇪🔥
