Rise of a Football God

(GROUP D:)

(Argentina 4-3 Norway)

(Venue: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, USA)

(Date: June 24th, 2026)

(Time: 15:00)

It was a thriller. A war. A reminder.

Lionel Messi, 38 years old, 10/10 performance.

Two goals. One assist. The game turned by sheer force of genius.

Lionel Messi won the man of the match award for the most singularly spectacular performance in this World Cup so far, by a 38 years old man!

The post-match reactions was crazy.

The internet was melting.

In front of the media, Alexic Mac Allister grinned like an overly excited teenager. "I've seen Messi do amazing things for 15 years. But tonight… tonight was poetry".

Even his opponents could not hide it anymore, even Martin Odegaard accepted defeat in front of the media.

"We played our best game. But when Messi's like that? You just watch".

A BBC Sport Commentator's commentary captured the essence of the game:

"One minute Norway were through. Then Messi stood up, and that was it. The G.O.A.T reminded the world who owns this stage".

And with this win, Argentina topped Group D undefeated.

And despite playing one of the best offensive football in the tournament, Norway's World Cup dream ended early, but not in shame.

And Messi?

He just authored another chapter in his mythos.

…

Chile vs Qatar was a massacre.

The game was played at the same time as Argentina and Norway went at it, this was why fans knew that Norway's World Cup dream was over immediately after the final whistle blew at the Mercedez-Benz in USA.

This was because Chile taught Qatar a brutal footballing lesson, thrashing the Middle Eastern club with a dominant 6-1 performance.

The score line did not accurately reflect the happenings on the pitch.

Chile didn't just outscore Qatar, they thoroughly outplayed them. It was almost like an all-star team playing against a group of upcoming teenagers.

For Qatar fans, it must have been an eyesore.

And with that dominant win, Chile secured qualification to the knockout stages of the 2026 FIFA World Cup ahead of Norway.

After Chile vs Qatar and Argentina vs Norway, the second game being a game where Lionel Messi rolled back the years with a dominant performance, the first 10/10 performance of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, all eyes turned towards the next day's fixture.

All attention went to tomorrow because of one of the countries that would be taking the pitch.

More precisely, it was because of one player playing for one of the countries… Samuel Moses.

After Messi's performance against Norway, no one said it but everyone seemingly agreed that the bar of excellence to claim the position of King of the Spotify Camp Nou was raised again.

And to claim it, Sam had to show that he could do it when the attention of the whole world was on him at the biggest stage of football… the FIFA World Cup.

Well, Sam accepted the challenge, shaking tables by posting on his IG account, the first post on his IG page that came directly from him.

[Samuel Moses – Let's cook!]

It was a single post, but it left the football world boiling with excitement.

Time moved fast, and in a flash, tomorrow was here.

…

(GROUP E:)

(Nigeria vs Canada)

(Venue: Estadio BBVA, Mexico)

(Date: June 24th, 2026)

(Time: 19:00)

Just like in the buildup to Argentina's clash vs Norway, the clash between Nigeria and Canada was also filled with a lot of hype because both nations were also competing for the first spot position in Group E.

Nigeria was currently at 6 points, and Canada was at 4 points. Any of the 2 countries to win the game would secure first position.

Besides, Canada was also under pressure to win or at least draw to boost their knockout stage qualification chances since a Croatian victory against Saudi Arabia would put them right back in the qualification race at 4 points like them.

All these reasons and more hyped the game up as a potential thriller.

Canada already talked the talk, now, they had to walk the walk.

Both nations started with their best starting XI.

Canada started in a 4-2-3-1 formation, D.S Clair starting in between the posts, while sitting ahead of him was a defensive quadruple of Johnston, Bombito, Cornelius, and the Canadian captain, Alphonso Davies.

The midfield duo comprised Eustaquio and Kone, while the 4-man attack comprised Ahmed in right wing, Jonathan David orchestrating play as the attacking midfielder, Osorio in left wing, and Larin leading the line as the striker.

As for Nigeria, they also started in a 4-2-3-1 formation, Stanley Nwabali starting in between the posts, while the defensive quadruple of Osayi Samuel, William Troost Ekong, Calvin Bassey, and Ola Aina sat ahead of him.

The midfield duo comprised Wilfried Ndidi and Alex Iwobi, while the front men comprised Ademola Lookman in right wing, Moses Simon in left wing, Sam through the middle as the attacking midfielder, and Victor Osimhem leading the line as the striker.

The dust had barely settled from Messi's jaw-dropping comeback against Norway when the eyes of the world turned to Monterrey.

The Estadio BBVA in Monterrey, Mexico was filled to the brim with tens of thousands of fans either in the green and white of Nigeria, or in the red and white of the Canadian national team.

Millions tuned in around the world to watch the blockbuster match.

Group E was on a knife's edge; Canada and Nigeria, both in prime position to qualify, collided under the scorching Mexican sun.

Canada came prepared; structured, physical, and packed with MLS-hardened experience.

Nigeria? They were vibrant and unpredictable. They've been the biggest underdog story of the FIFA World Cup so far, and now, they stepped into the pitch again with raw firepower and youth.

And at the center of it all stood Sam, the 20-year old attacking midfielder on the back of a legendary club season, number 10 on his back, destiny in his boots.

There were only 2 things that could happen.

Sam either blossoms, or he cowers, which would it be?

Only time would tell.

FWEEEE!

The game started.