Rise of a Football God

(GROUP I:)

(Netherlands vs Ukraine)

(Venue: Lincoln Financial Field, USA)

(Date: June 27th, 2026)

(Time: 17:00)

It was a cool, breezy evening at the Lincoln Financial Field in USA, perfect for football.

There were over 69,000 fans in attendance.

Group I had grown into one of the tightest in the tournament. The Netherlands came into this match having already secured 6 points, while Ukraine sat on 4, needing just a draw to confirm progression.

But the Dutch weren't playing for qualification.

They were playing for dominance. For first place. For Van Basten's spirit and Cruyff's legacy.

And the Ukrainians; fearless, fast, and tactically sharp under coach Ronald Koeman were ready for a war at the Lincoln Financial Field.

The Netherlands lined up in a 4-3-3 formation with Verbruggen in goal, Dumfries, De Ligt, Van Dijk, and Nathan Ake across the back.

In midfield was the trio of Frankie De Jong, Reijnders, and Veerman. While up front in attack was Xavi Simons, Memphis Depay, and Liverpool's Cody Gakpo.

In contrast to the Netherland lineup, Ukraine started in a 4-1-4-1 formation, with Trubin between the sticks, and a defensive quadruple of Konoplia, Matviyenko, Zabarnyi, and Mykolenko ahead of him.

Stepanenko played as the sold holding midfielder, while further ahead of him was the quadruple of Mykhailo Mydryk, Malinovskyi, Sudakov, and Tsyhankov as the creative midfielders this game.

Yaremchuk played up top as the striker.

From the whistle, it started aggressively and one thing was clear immediately; it was a chess match with cleats.

The first half was a game of control vs chaos.

The Dutch dominated early possession, classic Oranje football; smooth rotations, and risky diagonals.

Ukraine? They sat deep but were razor sharp on the counter.

And then, in the 18th minute of the game, against the run of play, the Ukrainians stunned the Dutch by getting the first goal of the game through Victor Tsyshankov.

Out of nowhere, Mudryk tore down the left flank, skipped past Dumfries, and pulled the ball back just outside the box. Tsyhankov struck it first-time, a rocket past Verbruggen.

And just like that, Ukraine were leading 0-1.

The Ukrainian fans erupted. They were ahead against the giants.

After that goal, the Netherlands turned up the pressure cooker. Depay dropped deep, Simons drifted centrally, and Gakpo began running riot up front.

It didn't take too long for them to dig in and get what they sought, a goal.

It came in the 34th minute from the rampaging Cody Gakpo.

A sublime triangle; Veerman to Frankie De Jong and then to Cody Gakpo, and the Liverpool forward curled it low beyond Trubin. Classic Dutch geometry.

1-1.

Ukraine tried to respond, but the Dutch kept the ball like a secret they refused to share.

The first half came to an end 1-1.

During the second half, Ukraine's coach adjusted. Malinovskyi dropped deeper, trying to cut Frankie De Jong's influence in the game.

It worked, for a while.

But then, BOOM!

It happened in the 61st minute, Memphis Depay.

Out of nothing, Depay received a long ball, chested it down under pressure, and bent a stunner into the top left corner of the net to make it 2-1.

The Ukrainian goalkeeper stood no chance.

BOOM!

The bench exploded. The fans went gaga in excitement and celebrations. Van Dijk raised both arms amid the celebrations.

Memphis Depay had arrived.

From then on, the Netherlands slowed the tempo to a crawl. Possession, possession, and more possession.

Ukraine tried to push late.

Mudryk repeatedly danced down the wing. Yaremchuk headed just over in the 87th minute. The final touch never came.

[Fulltime: Netherlands 2-1 Ukraine]

And with that win, Netherlands topped Group I with 9 points from 3 games. Ukraine finished 3rd but qualified as one of the best third-placed teams.

The man of the match award went to Memphis Depay. He was a menace all game with his 1 goal, 1 assist, 3 shots, and 3 fouls won.

The online caption?

["Leader. Finisher. Maestro. When the Netherlands needed a hero, Memphis showed up."]

And of course, the Netherlands coach, Ronald Koeman had a few words.

"We started slow, but I'm proud. Memphis and Cody were relentless. This is the rhythm we need for the knockouts".

The Ukrainian coach, Serhiy Rebrov also had a few words.

"We played brave football. We'll qualify, and now that we've faced the best, we're ready for the rest".

…

(GROUP I:)

(Tunisia vs China)

(Venue: Estadio Monterrey, Mexico)

(Date: June 27th, 2026)

(Time: 17:00)

Ukraine finished 3rd in Group I because the result of the Tunisia vs China game first after a crazy game at the Estadio Monterrey in Mexico.

China were more or less out of the FIFA World Cup already since they were unable to secure a single point in 2 games, but though Tunisia was at just 1 point, they had a chance with their final group stage game if they won against China.

Well, the result came, and they did win against China.

It pushed them all the way to 4 points in total, and they topped Ukraine in the group through goal difference, pushing all the way to 2nd position in Group I.

Tunisia pulled out all stops in their final group stage game, erupting with passion and zeal in a bid to secure qualification.

They didn't have any big name in their squad, but they had a team, a team that was desperate and determined to do anything to get the job done.

The first goal of the game came from one of the Tunisian center backs. The towering center back headed home from a corner kick in the 23rd minute to give Tunisia the lead over China.

The first half came to an end 1-0 in Tunisia's favor.

Tunisia came out for the second half with even more venom. Winning by just 1-0, they were not safe, they were far from it even and so they hustled even more.

Their hustle bore results.

Laidouni, the Tunisian center midfielder got the 2nd goal from a stunner from range in the 58th minute, and then Mastouri, the Tunisian striker rounded it up with another headed goal from a cross in the 71st minute.

Tunisia won 3-0 against China, securing knockout stage qualification in the process.