Hans Kraay Jr. doubts Belgium’s chances before New Zealand showdown

Dutch analyst Hans Kraay Jr. warned that Belgium’s Red Devils are unlikely to create any chances ahead of their next Group E clash with New Zealand on 27 June at 05:00, after the side earned only two points from their two “kroketten” matches against Iran and Egypt.

The Belgian side have already collected two points from their two group matches, described in a meme as “Bijna drie, bijna drie, dat zijn er dus twee!”. Both matches were labelled “krokettenwedstrijden” by fans, referring to the low‑scoring contests against Iran and Egypt.

Hans Kraay Jr., speaking on , said: “De Belgen? Neen, die gaan nergens kans op maken. Ze zijn zelfs geen outsider wat mij betreft”. He argued that Belgium cannot be considered an outsider in the group.

Kraay added: “Als je in deze poule niet doorkomt … Egypte, we hebben Iran, we hebben Nieuw‑Zeeland.” He noted that the remaining opponent, New Zealand, offers Belgium a chance to add four points.

Fan Sammy Tanghe from Het Eiland posted a reversed sentence, demonstrating his ability to speak backwards, as a humorous nod to the Iran match. His comment was shared alongside other memes referencing the match.

A Twitter post read: “We didn't win against Iran but at least it didn't cost us 300 billion USD.” The tweet mocked the financial criticism aimed at Belgium.

The article describes Belgium’s upcoming fixture as a “night of truth” where a “knalprestatie” is required to stay in contention. Critics from abroad have already voiced harsh assessments of the Belgian performance.

Voetbalkrant.com will stream the Belgium‑New Zealand game live from 05:00 on 27 June. Fans are encouraged to subscribe to the site’s newsletter for updates.