Read 3 minutesUpdated: June 30, 2026 08:35 AM IST
Netherlands forward Cody Gakpo was struck with the opening goal in the 72nd minute of the World Cup match against Morocco, just two days after he and his partner lost their unborn child during pregnancy.
“With broken hearts, we share the devastating news that our little boy passed away in pregnancy. Thank you for your love and support. Elijah Raphael Gakpo. Loved forever. Forever our son,” Gakpo’s partner, Noa van der Bij, wrote on her Instagram story on Saturday.
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Van der Bij added: “We went to the church to light the candles. After that, we went to the church grounds with our son Samuel. There was only one child there. His name was Elijah. There couldn’t have been a more beautiful sign from God. He reminded us that our little boy is never far away.”
The 27-year-old Gacpo broke the deadlock with a clean finish to Crescencio Summerville’s pass in the fourth round match played at the Monterrey Stadium in Mexico. Emotional, he bowed his head to the ground and waited for a few moments before his colleagues joined him in support. Visible tears ran down the Dutch forward’s face as he stood back up.
A few weeks before the 2026 World Cup, Cody Gakpo and Noah van der Bij announced that they are expecting their second child. The couple welcomed their first child, Samuel, in 2025.
Ahead of the Round of 32 match against Morocco, Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk spoke about the loss to Gakpo.
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“The most important thing is ‘What do you need?’ This is terrible news and shows that football is secondary. There are more important things in life. It’s very sad, but Cody is dealing with it. “
Van Dijk also praised the way Gakpo and his family handled the situation.
“He’s very mature, very mature. I have a lot of respect for the way he and his family are handling this. As horrible as it is, I have a lot of respect for that,” Van Dyk said.
Dutch manager Ronaldo Koeman was also supportive. “We did what was in our power as support, as players, as staff,” he said.
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“Of course, for the first few days he had the freedom to go to his family and be with them. He handled it very well, there was never a moment where he said ‘I want to go back, I want to be with family’.”
Morocco net stoppage time equal
Despite Gakpo’s strike, the Netherlands bounced back from 2022 semi-finalists Morocco to equalize in stoppage time through Issa Diop’s header, sending the match into extra time.
More to follow