In the 72nd minute of the Netherlands’ Round of 32 match Monday night, Cody Gakpo scored an impressive go-ahead goal and was immediately overcome with emotion.
Less than 48 hours earlier, the 27-year-old’s longtime partner, Noa van der Bij, announced the loss of their son during pregnancy via an Instagram Story, People reported.
“With broken hearts, we share the devastating news that our baby boy passed away during pregnancy,” she wrote, according to a screenshot. “Thank you for your love and support. Elijah Raphael Gakpo. Forever loved. Forever our son.” (RELATED: Soccer Players Keep Gathering On Field To Pray During FIFA World Cup)
After Gakpo scored, his teammates swarmed him — not to celebrate the goal, but to support their teammate.
The entire Netherlands team comes on the field to support an emotional Cody Gakpo 🇳🇱 pic.twitter.com/ed3jstrHPy
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) June 30, 2026
Before the contest, Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman praised Gakpo’s ability to handle the emotions of losing a son, according to NBC Sports.
“He deals with things with his family in his own way, and it’s very powerful. It’s beautiful, and we’ve left it there,” Koeman said. “We’ve been his support, he can count on us and the other players, and the players have handled it in their own way.”
The hustle by Cody Gakpo to score this one for the Dutch 🔥 pic.twitter.com/yOLkYrWHAw
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) June 30, 2026
The Netherlands went on to lose to Morocco 1-1 in a shootout 3-2.