Read for 5 minutesUpdated: June 24, 2026 03:24 PM IST
Goals have names. There are stories in the save.
With Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland and Cristiano Ronaldo dominating the headlines, the Golden Boot race is well and truly underway. But while superstars chase goals, little-known goalkeepers are stealing their moments. Cape Verde have 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha, who is making his World Cup debut, to thank for two draws against European champions Spain and Uruguay. Curaçao also made their first appearance, drawing 0-0 with Eloy Roome against Ecuador. The 37-year-old entered the record books with 15 saves, the joint-most in a World Cup match. Iran’s Alireza Berwanvand made the best defense of the tournament so far. He appeared on the ground after attempting to cut in a cross from the left, but miraculously raised his left palm to deny Belgium’s Maxime de Cuper from close range.
Wozinha, Chamber, Bairwanvand. Add Congo’s Lionel Mpasi to that list.
Colombia beat Uzbekistan 3-1 in their opener to reach their Group K match against Congo in what is expected to be a massive test of the Congolese backline in their second World Cup fixture. They needed a win to book their place in the round of 32. By the end of 90 minutes, plus six extra time, they got it, just. 9 of Colombia’s 19 shots were on target. MPC made eight saves. Five of those came in the first 20 minutes, the most by any goalkeeper in that span of World Cup play in nearly three decades.
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By the first hydration break Colombia had 64 per cent possession, nine attempts on goal and five on target. By half-time they had twice as many passes. They threw everything away in the Congo. The MPC did not move.
His pick of the saves was a point-blank stop to deny the speedy Luis Diaz in the second half. He also pushed out a long-range screamer from Johan Mojica. When Colombia’s goal finally came, it needed a deflection: Daniel Munoz’s shot, after cutting in from the right, was completely eliminated by Steve Capuadi in the middle and wrong-footed MPC. As the match wore on, the Congolese backline found their shape, but had their goalkeeper to thank for keeping them to just one. MPC took the honor despite not having a clean sheet. They needed luck to defeat him.
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Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha saves a ball during the World Cup Group H soccer match against Spain on Monday, June 15, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Colin Hubbard)
For the country, formerly known as Zaire, returning to the World Cup after 52 years, MPC’s performance gave them confidence. Congo can still advance to the round of 32 if they beat Uzbekistan and the results go their way.
For Mpasi, the road to this World Cup, like his country’s, has been long and winding. After nearly a decade in the lower divisions of French football, he made his Ligue 1 debut for Le Havre AC in January this year. He was 31 years old. By then most keepers are established international players. A product of the PSG academy who represented France’s youth teams, he spent four years in Toulouse’s reserve side, before moving to Rodez AF in 2016, building a quiet reputation as a stable duo. He came to Houston as a backup keeper and had a handful of top-flight prospects behind him.
Curacao goalkeeper Eloy Room (1) makes a save during the World Cup Group E match between Ecuador and Curacao in Kansas City. (AP Photo/Ed Jurga)
Born to Congolese parents in Meaux, France, he holds dual citizenship and chose Congo.
After Congo beat Jamaica to qualify for the World Cup, he spoke about what the moment meant. “My parents are about 50 years old. They were babies, or my father was maybe eight or ten years old when Zare played in the World Cup. So many people in the DRC have never seen the country in the World Cup. You can feel it, because the reception we got from the people was historic. We saw that we had done something historic,” he told Radio France Internationale.
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Like Wozinha, Joe didn’t turn professional until he was 25 and his mother couldn’t get a visa to watch him play against Spain. As was Roome, who was without a club in the final week of qualifying. Like Birwanvand, once a shepherd, then a car washer, then a waiter in a pizza restaurant. MPC’s story is also one of persistence. In the shadow of Messi, Mbappe and Ronaldo, the journeyman goalkeeper is writing his own story at this World Cup.