Netherlands forward Cody Gakpo delivered one of the most emotional moments of the 2026 World Cup on Monday, scoring just days after he and his partner announced the devastating loss of their unborn son, though the goal was not enough to keep the Dutch alive in the tournament.
Gakpo's partner, Noa van der Bij, announced on Saturday that the couple's unborn son had died during pregnancy. The baby, who the couple named Elijay Raphael Gakpo, had been due in October and would have been the couple's second child together. Van der Bij shared the news on social media alongside a photo of the pair holding hands over a blanket and a small knitted hat, writing that the baby would be forever loved and forever their son. She described visiting a church to light a candle and later encountering another child at a nearby playground who happened to share her late son's name, calling it a sign that he was never far away.
Just two days later, Gakpo took the field for the Netherlands' round of 32 match against Morocco. In the 72nd minute, he won a chase to a loose ball at the edge of the box and somehow squeezed a shot between a Moroccan defender and goalkeeper Bono as the two collided, putting the Netherlands ahead. As his teammates rushed to embrace him, tears welled in his eyes, turning the celebration into something far heavier than a typical goal. Dutch captain Virgil van Dijk said afterward that he had enormous respect for how Gakpo and his family had handled the situation.
