On the same day that Sam wrote his name in World Cup lore against Ukraine in the Round of 32 clash, England also took on Belgium.

Their game was scheduled to start 3 hours later.

[FIFA World Cup 2026 – Round of 32]

[Match 6: England vs Belgium]

[Venue: MetLife Stadium, New Jersey, USA]

[Date: July 2nd, 2026]

[Kick-off: 20:00 local time]

[Referee: Clement Turpin (France)]

The weather in New Jersey was nice. Clear skies. It was an electric night in East Rutherford.

England vs Belgium, one of the fantasy scenarios of the Round of 32.

It was a heavyweight war of eras… England's new blood vs Belgium's golden farewell.

This was no ordinary Round of 32 match, it was a clash of legacy and prophecy.

Belgium's golden generation; De Bruyne, Lukaku, Tielemans, Doku, those remaining of it knew this was their last dance.

England, young and star-studded, looked like the future. Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka, Cole Palmer had set the tournament alight.

The stage was massive. The match? Even bigger.

England started in a 4-2-3-1 formation under Thomas Tuchel, with Jordan Pickford in goal, and a defensive quadruple of Kyle Walker, John Stones, Marc Guehi, and Luke Shaw ahead of him.

In midfield was the duo of Declan Rice and Bellingham, while the attacking creators were Saka on the right, Cole Palmer down the middle, and Marcus Rashford on the left.

Down the middle was England's captain and striker, Harry Kane.

Belgium? They started in their regular 3-4-2-1, with Thibuat Courtois starting again in goal, while ahead of him was the defensive trio of Faes, Vertonghen, and Theate.

In midfield was the trio of Castagne, Onana, Tielemans, and Carrasco. De Bruyne and Jeremy Doku lined up as the creators in chief.

As for Lukaka? Of course, he led the line as the striker.

The first half was a game of back and forth like thunderclaps.

Both teams went at each other with no caution, no brakes.

Belgium and England had a lot of history over the years already, mostly in the World Cup and in other international football competitions.

It was not exactly a rivalry between both countries, but on this stage, both sides wanted to crush their opponents and use them as stepping stones to progress to the Round of 16 of the tournament.

And so, they played their hearts out on the pitch, running themselves to the ground as they fought to assert dominance over the game.

And then…

BAM!

Romelu Lukaku struck for Belgium. He struck early.

In the 12th minute of the game, Doku tore down the left wing, beat Kyle Walker, and squared it for Lukaku who rifled it past Pickford.

Kyle Walker may have started revitalizing his career with AC Milan, but he was no longer that Walker that bombed up and down with imperious dominance during his Manchester City years.

England 0-1 Belgium.

England went behind in the 12th minute, but the response was swift.

England got their equalizer just 7 minutes later in the 19th minute of the game through a Jude Bellingham stunner.

Rashford drew two defenders wide, and slipped it to Bellingham, who dropped Belgium's Youri Tielemans with a fake and curled it into the far corner.

It was vintage Bellingham.

"BELLIGOAL!!!"

"BELLIGOAL!!!"

"BELLIGOAL…!!!" The commentators screamed.

1-1.

The roar shook the stadium.

England got their equalizer, and yet, they were not satisfied. Not yet.

The 3 Lions took it a step further as they finally got their lead in the 28th minute of the game. Harry Kane finally got his name on the scoresheet.

Cole Palmer found space between the lines, floated a delicious cross behind Faes, and Kane met it on the volley.

BAM!

The goalkeeper saw a ghost.

2-1 England. Just like that.

Pure class from Harry Kane. But Belgium didn't blink.

11 minutes after England took the lead, the Belgians got themselves back in the game, and it was their own captain… Kevin De Bruyne.

He hadn't had a sniff, but then… boom!

From 30 yards out, a thunderbolt off the bar and in.

2-2.

"KEVIN DE BRUYNE…!!!" The commentator screamed in a shrill voice.

Kevin De Bruyne whirled off away in celebration, bringing the stadium down with him as Belgian fans roared at the top of their lungs.

The first half was pure madness.

It came to an end 2-2.

The second half was chaos on the wings.

It started, and for a time, the game settled slightly. But individual brilliance kept the chaos alive.

In the 56th minute of the game, Doku came close, as he cut inside and curled. It was just wide. Pickford was comfortably beaten.

Belgium was growing.

In the 67th minute, another Harry Kane save!

One-on-one with Casteels after a Rashford flick, Casteels saved with his face, Belgium surviving as their goalkeeper kept them in it.

In the 74th minute, England made a sub, bringing in Eberechi Eze for Palmer. Thomas Tuchel wanted energy.

The game continued, tough, tight, and intense.

And then, the moment.

It came in the 84th minute of the game.

Jude Bellingham won a foul 25 yards out. Saka stood over the ball.

Everyone expected a cross, but instead, a cheeky reverse ball into space set Bellingham up as the Real Madrid man sprinted onto it, and cut it across goal…

It was meant for Harry Kane, but Kane let it run.

Behind him?

Bukayo Saka. Calm, measured.

He took one touch. That was all it took…

A tap in.

GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!

3-2 England.

For a brief moment, the MetLife came undone as English fans in the stadium turned it into a cauldron of noise with their energetic celebrations.

After that, Belgium pushed desperately.

De Bruyne hit the post in the 90th plus 3 minute. Youri Tielemans had a volley blocked by Declan Rice in the 94th minute.

Belgium tried everything in their playbook, and yet, it was not enough.

And then…

FWEEEE!

The game came to an end.

[FULL-TIME: England 3-2 Belgium]

England survived.

Belgium bowed out; their last hurrah, and a fittingly epic one.

Jude Bellingham won the man of the match award with his 1 goal, 1 assist, 10 duels won, and 3 key passes.

He was not the future anymore. He was the now, England's general in midfield, the face of this England side.

The post-match reactions were touching as an emotional Kevin De Bruyne faced the media.

"We gave everything. Maybe we just ran out of time… and legs".

Bellingham also had some words for the media.

"I live for moments like this. This team isn't afraid of anyone".

Thomas Tuchel, the England coach also had a few words.

"They challenged us. But we answered. That's tournament football".