2026 World Cup: Comebacks, missiles, and rum and cokes... Everything you missed on Wednesday night/Thursday morning

More football to watch tonight for us, while you struggled to sleep in this tropical heat. Next time, come to the office with us – it'll be much nicer. But in the meantime, here's what you missed.

Two weeks into the World Cup already, can you believe it? Well, having said that, seeing the suitcases being dug before our eyes, we understand that the sleepless nights spent watching countries that we are not always able to place on the map play football are starting to become (a little too) numerous.

But what can you do... When you love football, you love football! So even if it costs us an arm and a leg in concealer, we don't plan on stopping telling you in detail everything you missed last night so you can enjoy it when you wake up...

The thrill of the night: the return of the legends

Tears, shouts, songs... Wednesday night into Thursday morning witnessed two entrances worthy of the greatest Beatles concerts. First on the scene was the most famous of "teleworking" players: Neymar, of course. The Brazilian finally kick-started his 2026 World Cup campaign, replacing Matheus Cunha in the 75th minute of the Seleção's resounding victory against Scotland. And as is often the case with Neymar, it all ended in tears, but tears of joy this time: at the final whistle, the Santos striker burst into sobs, overwhelmed by the emotion of having officially accomplished his "World Cup mission."

A few hours later, the strange, tear-inducing dust filled the air at Mexico City's Azteca Stadium. While Mexico was dominating the Czech Republic, local hero Memo Ochoa received the gift of a lifetime from his coach: an appearance at 40 years old in his sixth World Cup in front of his home crowd. For his 154th cap, the legendary goalkeeper didn't have much to do during his 12 minutes on the pitch. But history was being made elsewhere than between the goalposts, which he nevertheless took the time to kiss before leaving, probably for the last time, the pitch of the mythical Azteca Stadium.

The night's golazo: Wilson Isidor's supersonic gunshot

Goal alert! If you weren't watching Morocco-Haiti, you probably missed THE goal of this early World Cup. A homing missile of a shot from Wilson Isidor, launched at such incredible speed that it nearly ripped through the net. A 25-meter strike unleashed at breakneck speed to clean the cobwebs from Yassine Bounou's goal. You can replay it 12 times, you'll still struggle to make out the ball, as our poor mortal eyes aren't equipped to track flying objects at that speed. Enjoy it without moderation (unless, perhaps, you're Moroccan).

Last night's qualifiers: Brazil, Morocco, South Africa, and Bosnia and Herzegovina are on the right track.

Yes, because in case you'd forgotten, we weren't playing testimonial matches for footballing veterans tonight, but real, high-stakes games. And while Brazil and Morocco secured easy victories (Brazil) and hard-fought wins (Morocco), thus confirming their expected places in the Round of 32, the surprise came from Group A. While South Korea, rather impressive until now, seemed destined to join Mexico on the bus of qualifiers for the knockout stage, it was South Africa who snatched their ticket with a narrow but deserved 1-0 victory. And too bad for all those who, like the writer of these lines, left with a big fat zero on MPP...

But that's not all! A fourth nation celebrated its qualification last night, but this time not on the pitch. Just hours after its victory against Qatar, Bosnia and Herzegovina officially secured its place in the round of 32 thanks to Scotland's heavy defeat. The Bosnians are guaranteed to have more points than at least four third-placed teams from their respective groups, and will therefore be among the eight teams that receive a wildcard entry.

The night's end-of-life project: watching Scotland win the World Cup and die

Moira Brown is 93 years old, Scottish, and has most likely never heard of Thierry Roland. But she could only agree with the man who will forever remain the first person to utter the phrase "France are world champions" on French television. For, as the legendary voice of Les Bleus said on that famous July 12, 1998, "After seeing that, we can die happy, my dear Jean-Mimi."

And "dying peacefully" is precisely what Moira Brown plans to do if Scotland wins the World Cup on July 19th. This 93-year-old supporter, who traveled to the United States to support the Tartan Army, calmly explained her plan to the BBC. "If we make it to the final and win, I don't think I'll bother going home," she said. "I'll stay here in the United States and drink rum and Cokes until I die."