'Shock': History's greatest golden generation collapses, facing crisis of 'elimination from World Cup group stage' for two consecutive tournaments, let alone winning the title. "Just 10 years ago..."

*This content was translated by AI.

Belgium's golden generation is finally walking the path of decline. Once hailed as a matter of time before reaching the summit of the world stage, the team has now fallen to a position where even advancing from the World Cup group stage cannot be guaranteed.

On the 22nd (Korea time), Belgium drew 0-0 with Iran in the second group stage match of the 2026 FIFA North American World Cup at Los Angeles Stadium in the United States.

The world was shocked by Belgium's rapid decline from a former championship favorite. The British newspaper 'BBC' expressed regret, stating, "Just 10 years ago, the question was not whether Belgium would win, but when. They were undoubtedly fielding the most exciting generation in football history."

In fact, following their draw in the first match of this tournament, Belgium now faces the humiliating prospect of being eliminated from the group stage in two consecutive World Cups, as they did in the previous tournament.

The start was not bad. Five minutes into the match, Kevin De Bruyne's sharp cross headed toward the goal, but Romelu Lukaku failed to connect, squandering the chance to take the lead. Lukaku, who had been sidelined for a long time due to a hamstring injury, made his first appearance in the national team lineup since June 2025, but his heavy movements throughout the match failed to lead the team's attack.

In the 25th minute of the first half, Belgium faced a goal-scoring crisis from a free kick by Iran's Mehdi Taremi. After a lengthy video assistant referee (VAR) review, an offside was called, nullifying the goal. However, this left Belgium suffering from an extreme lack of scoring in the first half of four consecutive World Cup matches.

The frustrating flow continued into the second half. Belgium maintained possession throughout the match and unleashed no fewer than 23 shots, but could not penetrate the miraculous saves of Iran's goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand. It was the first time since the 1994 World Cup that Belgium took more than 23 shots in a single match and still failed to score. To make matters worse, in the 21st minute of the second half, young defender Nathan Ngouma was sent off for a critical foul, forcing Belgium to play with 10 men.

Belgium's performance on this day clearly showed the end of the golden generation that once shook the world. After failing to qualify for the 2006 and 2010 World Cups, Belgium began to pour out legendary talents across all positions starting from the 2014 Brazil World Cup, including Eden Hazard, Lukaku, De Bruyne, Moussa Dembélé, Jan Vertonghen, Toby Alderweireld, and Vincent Kompany.

At the time, the football world expected Belgium to dominate major tournaments, but now, over a decade later, this golden generation is fading away without ever reaching a major tournament final. Belgium has reached the semi-finals only once in the six major tournaments held since 2014.

Criticism from on-site experts poured in. French legend Patrick Vieira pointed out, "Belgium's biggest problem is that De Bruyne and Lukaku have lost their match sharpness. They failed to match the game's tempo, and Lukaku's first touch and link-up play were truly the worst." Roy Keane, formerly of Manchester United, also harshly criticized, saying, "The quality of the performance was truly abysmal."

Currently, Belgium sits with just two points in Group G alongside Iran. They must win their final group stage match against New Zealand to have any chance of qualifying for the Round of 32 on their own. The golden generation of Belgium, once thought to swallow world football whole, now faces the sad prospect of disappearing into the annals of history.

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*This content was translated by AI.