The 72nd minute of a tense World Cup last-32 tie in Monterrey produced a moment that will linger far beyond the tournament. Cody Gakpo, the Netherlands forward, swept in Crysencio Summerville’s cutback to break the deadlock against Morocco, then sank to his knees and wept. Teammates from every corner of the pitch, substitutes and staff included, rushed to envelop him; when he rose, Gakpo raised a finger to the sky, a silent dedication to the unborn son he and his partner, Noa van der Bij, had lost only days earlier.

The goal itself was a product of persistence. Summerville, driving into the area, tumbled under a challenge but managed to toe the ball into Gakpo’s path. The Liverpool attacker, stationed centrally, clipped a first-time finish over the onrushing goalkeeper Yassine Bounou and a recovering defender. It was Gakpo’s third goal of the tournament, following a brace in the 5-1 demolition of Sweden, and his sixth in World Cup history — one shy of Johnny Rep’s Dutch record.

Behind the catharsis lay a private grief made public on 27 June, when Van der Bij posted on social media that the couple’s baby boy, Elijah Raphael, had died during pregnancy. Dutch media reported that Gakpo was given leave to be with his family at the team’s Kansas City base, but after speaking with his partner, he chose to remain with the squad. “There was never a moment when he said ‘I want to go back home’,” head coach Ronald Koeman told reporters. Captain Virgil van Dijk, speaking before the match, said the squad had rallied around Gakpo, insisting that “football is secondary”.

That support was visible on the pitch, but the match refused to follow a script. As noted in Indonesian match reports, Morocco equalised deep into second-half stoppage time when Issa Diop headed home, cancelling out Gakpo’s opener and forcing the tie into extra time. The goal muted the Dutch celebrations and left the contest unresolved at 1-1 after 90 minutes.

The winner of this last-32 encounter will face Canada in the round of 16 in Houston. For the Netherlands, the immediate task is to navigate the additional half-hour and, if necessary, a penalty shootout, while Gakpo’s personal ordeal continues to shadow every step of their campaign.