Rise of a Football God

A goal and an assist.

What a performance.

In his 2nd consecutive FIFA World Cup game, the first World Cup of his 4-year career, Sam claimed the man of the match award.

He wasn't playing like a 20-year-old at all.

Rather, he played like a veteran football stuck in the body of a youth in his physical prime. Sam was unreal.

And with that performance, once again, he put his name forward among conversations of the very best footballers in the world this season.

He was now alongside truly illustrious company in the World Cup.

After Nigeria's 2nd game against Saudi Arabia, Sam and Victor Osimhen pushed themselves firmly into the Golden Boot race with 2 goals and 3 goals apiece, while Sam's name was already firmly entrenched in the Golden Ball race.

In the Golden Ball race, Sam's name sat alongside other illustrious names like Vinicius Jnr, Kylian Mbappe, Rodri, and Pedri.

All of them were outstanding for their respective countries in 2 games so far.

The FIFA World Cup didn't stop after Nigeria's win over Saudi Arabia though. The FIFA World Cup in North America continued the next day.

…

(GROUP F:)

(Iran vs New Zealand)

(Venue: Lumen Field, USA)

(Date: June 25th, 2026)

(Time: 14:00)

25th June, 2026…

Footballing fans from Iran and New Zealand filled Lumen Field in USA to the brim, all bubbling with energy to support their country in hopes of bolstering their chances of qualifying for the knockout stages of the FIFA World Cup.

Iran vs New Zealand was a pretty chaotic affair, a game that attracted 5 different yellow cards from the referee.

And yet, it was not even the conduct of the players that drew the most attention, neither was it the trigger-happy hand of the referee to give out cards.

Rather, what drew the most attention was the confusing nature of the game.

The first half was a drab affair between both teams, neither team deeming it worth it to take risks in attack as they played a basic defensive game.

It was boring, truly an eye sore, but both fanbases persevered, roaring their respective countries on to get the victory.

The 2nd half didn't exactly follow a different script as it also followed the same boring script for most of the game, till after the 75th minute.

After the 75th minute, both countries erupted.

It was almost as if both sides came to a tacit agreement, saying, 'f*ck it! What's there to lose? Let's rumble!'

Because they did rumble.

The final 15 minutes of the game was an absolute thriller.

Both sides seemingly abandoned defense in favor of reckless attack, putting all their energy into breaking the opposition down.

New Zealand got to the promised land first, their striker lashing into a cross with an incredible instinctive backheel touch that nudged the ball towards the top right corner, away from the goalkeeper's grasp.

It was almost funny, but it was a goal.

"GOALLLL…!" New Zealand fans erupted.

The goal came in the 81st minute.

But 7 minutes later, in the 88th minute of the game, Iran broke New Zealand hearts around the world with a stunner from their star midfielder from almost the halfway line as he spotted the goalkeeper slightly out of his lines.

And just like that, 1-1.

Neither clubs had anymore idea after the 88th minute. And so, once again, the game reverted to a drab and boring affair, both countries passing it around hopelessly till the final whistle blew.

1-1.

What a strange and confusing game of contrast it was.

….

(GROUP F:)

(Italy vs Spain)

(Venue: NRG Stadium, USA)

(Date: June 25th, 2026)

(Time: 20:00)

On the same 25th of June in USA, Italy took on Spain.

Italy historically boasted one of the best defenses in a national football team, and this year's Italy squad was no different.

Their defense was stacked, but it was not enough against Luis De La Fuente's Spanish side as they ran rampant tirelessly.

For large swathes of the game, Italy showcased their defensive excellence to the world, holding Spain for a long time, ending the first half in a goalless draw even as they got a few chances of their own through counterattacks.

But then in the 2nd half, Spain changed the narrative with 2 lightning-fast goals, stunning Italy.

The first came from Rodri, the Spanish talisman bursting into the 18-yard box only to direct a placement shot towards the bottom right corner, tearing Italy's elite defense open to score the first goal of the game.

BOOM!

The NRG Stadium in USA exploded even as Rodri slid on his knees in celebration, sending Spanish fans all around the world into a frenzy.

The first goal entered in the 56th minute.

But just 2 minutes later, the Spanish wonderkid, Lamine Yamal struck again in dominant fashion, reminding the world of his talent and just how good he was.

Playing alongside Sam dampened his shine a bit this season, forgetting just how good he was. But Yamal was still just as good, Sam was simply a monster.

And tonight, Yamal showed exactly what he was capable of, receiving the ball in the right before running through half of the Italian defense before poking the ball into the bottom right corner away from the goalkeeper's feet as he charged out to meet him.

0-2. Just like that.

Italy didn't stay quiet though.

After Spain's 58th minute goal, they finally seemed to wake up from their slumber and a few minutes of Italian brilliance followed, culminated by a 63rd minute Nicollo Barella strike.

Receiving the ball inside the box, Barella showed his elite ball control, spinning with the ball, going in between 3 players before slotting the ball past Unai Simon and into the net.

1-2.

Game on. Or so Italian fans thought.

With Rodri in the center of the pitch breaking attack, Italy could not build on their sudden momentum after their first goal.

Rodri was not a destroyer in the center of the pitch.

He was an elite tactician with a brain packed full of defending genius and anticipation, and he helped Spain stay in the game.

In the 84th minute, Rodri raised the ball above Italy's defense, catching them out for Nico Williams to run into before slotting past the goalkeeper.

1-3.

That was the score line at the end of the game.

Rodri won the man of the match award.