KNVB Beker · Defender · #0 · Netherlands · 23 yrs
Sidny Lopes Cabral's memorable extra-time strike for Cape Verde against Argentina has been named the best goal of the 2026 World Cup. The post Cape Verde’s Cabral wins World Cup Goal of the Tournament award for Argentina stunner appeared first on SoccerNews.
Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, and Erling Haaland are three of the twelve nominees in contention to claim the 2026 World Cup Goal of the Tournament. The 2026 World Cup belonged to the game’s biggest icons, with marquee superstars delivering unforgettable performances across North America. With the tournament now in the books, FIFA has opened voting for one of its most anticipated individual honors: the 2026 World Cup Goal of the Tournament, featuring a star-studded list headed by Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, and Erling Haaland. This expanded edition proved to be the highest-scoring tournament in FIFA history, shattering previous records with a staggering 308 goals across 104 matches. Following Sunday’s final, FIFA officially unveiled a 12-goal shortlist for fans to crown the tournament’s single finest strike. Unsurprisingly, Messi earned a nomination among his eight tournament goals, with FIFA selecting his opening-match stunner against Algeria. Back on June 16, the Argentine captain collected a crisp pass from Rodrigo De Paul in the central channel before whipping a curled, long-range laser past Luca Zidane into the top-right corner to kick off his team’s campaign in style. MESSI SCORES ARGENTINA’S FIRST GOAL OF THE 2026 FIFA WORLD CUP! 🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/JyNwqGCaFU— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) June 17, 2026 Earlier that same day, Mbappe put on a shooting display of his own, capping a two-goal performance to lead France past Senegal 3-1 in their group-stage opener. Standing 32 yards out from Edouard Mendy’s goal, the Real Madrid superstar unleashed a thunderous strike that clipped the underside of the crossbar, marking his 58th career goal for Les Bleus to become his country’s all-time leading scorer. Absolute GOLAZO from Mbappé! 🇫🇷Kylian Mbappé is now France's ALL-TIME leading goalscorer pic.twitter.com/5phfectcIY— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) June 16, 2026 Haaland also earned a nod after authoring a legendary chapter in Norwegian soccer history. On July 5 against Brazil in the Round of 16, the physically imposing striker latched onto a delicate layoff from Andreas Schjelderup at the edge of the 18-yard box, hammering a blistering crossed shot home to seal an iconic 2-1 upset victory over the Canarinha. ERLING HAALAND IS BRILLIANT TO BAG HIS BRACE AND PUT NORWAY UP 2-0 🇳🇴 pic.twitter.com/QA4bZE5DCe— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) July 5, 2026 The other candidates Kerim Alajbegovic — Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Qatar (1-0), Group B, 24 June.Julian Alvarez — Argentina vs. Switzerland (2-1), 11 July.Jude Bellingham — England vs. France (4-6), 18 July.Sidny Lopes Cabral — Cabo Verde vs. Argentina (2-2), 3 July.Wilson Isidor — Haiti vs. Morocco (2-1), Group C, 24 June.Elijah Just — New Zealand vs. IR Iran (1-0), Group G, 15 June.Daizen Maeda — Japan vs. Sweden (1-0), Group F, 25 June.Eldor Shomurodov — Uzbekistan vs. Congo DR (1-0), Group K, 28 June.Ferran Torres — Spain vs. Argentina (1-0), Final, 19 July.
⚽️ Kick-off time: 6pm local/8am AEST/11pm BST⚽️ Egypt edge Australia on penalties | Mail TomLionel Messi will play in his 30th World Cup match tonight, extending his record for the most by a men’s player in their career. He’ll be joined by Lautaro Martinez in attack, while Julian Alvarez drops to the bench.For Cape Verde, Cape Verde midfielder Telmo Arcanjo, who was struggling with a leg injury, starts on the bench. Sidny Lopes Cabral returns from suspension to start at left-back. Continue reading...
The full-back on defying the odds, dealing with racism, Cape Verde’s party people and taking on Lionel Messi“When we saw 1%, we just laughed.” Cape Verde liked those odds, and so did Sidny Lopes Cabral. “They gave us a 1% chance of reaching the next round, but we showed how big 1% is,” the defender says. He has always known there was a chance however small it looked, in Rotterdam or anywhere: in Germany, where he froze in the fifth tier earning £850 a month, using bin bags for curtains, and in America, too. His mates told him he was crazy; he told his mum not to worry. “I always told them: ‘Hey, I’m going to be a great football player: I’m gonna reach the top.’ And I’m living in my dream now.”Now, the team representing a group of islands home to 500,000 people, the story of this World Cup, face the champions. And Lopes Cabral, the left-back and the second-youngest player in the squad at 23, faces arguably the best footballer of all time. “I hope I get some nice pictures of me standing next to him,” Lopes Cabral says. “I have no words to describe how I feel, how we all do. Back in Cape Verde, every game there are parties. In the Netherlands, in France, everywhere Cape Verdean people live. In Rotterdam it’s crazy.” Continue reading...
⚽️ Kick-off: 6pm local time/11pm BST/8am (Mon) AEST⚽️ Player guide | Bracketology | Golden Boot | Email Beau4 min Cano is down, having received a small shove from Borges that, if his reaction is to be believed, dislocated several vertebrae.3 min Lopes Cabral is judo-tossed again. What’d he do to deserve this? Continue reading...
