FIFA World Cup 2026 - Group F Trivia Quiz

Answer: Daichi Kamada

After an uninspiring first half, the game came to life in the second. Most people thought that Ogawa had scored from his headed attempt, but replays showed that the ball took a sizeable defection off Kamada's stationary noggin on the way in. The keeper still got a hand on it, and I thought the commentators at the time were very uncharitable to Bart Verbruggen when they suggested he should have done better, as it all happened in a split second.

This match represented the first time the Netherlands had ever failed to win a World Cup match when twice holding a lead. There was a lot of criticism of the Dutch following this performance, how they failed to win etc, which this author thought was a little unfair on Japan. It's not like the Blue Samurai were a bad, untested side.

Answer: 2-1 Sweden

Early in the first half, Sweden's Yasin Ayari thundered a perfect volley from outside the area after Mouhib Chamakh had made two good blocks to deny earlier attempts. 1-0 to Sweden. On 29 minutes, Alexander Isak doubled the lead after he drove home a shot from the edge of the area that the keeper really should have saved as it went over his outstretched arm. 2-0 to Sweden.

Just before half time, Omar Rekik pulled a goal back with a glancing header. 2-1 to Sweden. A minute before the hour mark, Viktor Gyökeres benefitted from a defensive mix-up to make it 3-1 to Sweden. After 84 minutes, Mattias Svanberg scored 18 seconds after coming on as a substitute. 4-1 to Sweden. In the last minute of second half, Ayari scored his second and Sweden's fifth with a strike from outside the area. Final score, 5-1 to Sweden.

From this author's perspective, Tunisia never really looked to be in the contest, apart from their well-taken goal. They relied way too much on the individual skills of Hannibal.

Answer: They sacked their manager Sabri Lamouchi

Tunisia's loss to Sweden in their opening group game cost Lamouchi his job. The Tunisian Football Association said in a statement: "An agreement has been officially reached to dismiss coach Sabri Lamouchi. Plans are underway ?to appoint ?Mondher Kebaier as the national team ?coach (on an interim basis)." Kebaier had previously led the national team from 2019 to 2022. Lamouchi took charge five months earlier and only oversaw five games.

The 1-0 over Haiti was his only success. Tunisia had lost 5-0 to Belgium in their final warm-up game.

Answer: No-one scored a hat trick

The Dutch took the lead after five minutes when Brian Brobbey got on the end of a low cross from the left. 1-0 to the Netherlands. Ten minutes later, he slid in a similarly low cross from the right for 2-0 to the Netherlands. Sweden's Gustaf Lagerbielke scored a goal just before half time, but it was disallowed for offside.

Early the second half, Cody Gakpo got on the end of yet another low ball across the area for 3-0 to the Netherlands. A few minutes later, Gakpo broke the low cross mould when he latched onto a Crysencio Summerville through ball to cut inside and score, 4-0 to the Netherlands. In the 58th minute, Swedish substitute Anthony Elanga also powered onto a through ball up the middle to finish neatly past the Dutch keeper Bart Verbruggen, 4-1 to the Netherlands. With a couple of minutes to go Crysencio Summerville shot low into the corner to wrap the game up at 5-1 to the Netherlands. Full time. It's not that Sweden played badly, but the Netherlands played really well.

Gakpo's second goal was the 100th scored at this tournament. It was also his fifth goal in seven World Cup finals appearances. That put Gakpo just two behind the Netherlands' record scorer at World Cup tournaments, Johnny Rep.

Answer: Four

With just four minutes elapsed, Japan's Daichi Kamada turned in a low cross from the left for a scoreline of 1-0 to Japan. They could have had a second goal in the 9th minute, but Dylan Bronn made a sliding clearance. One minute later Takehiro Tomiyasu had his side-footed shot clawed away from the goal line by the Tunisian keeper, Aymen Dahmen. No goal line technology graphic was displayed, but it must have been millimetres from being completely over the line. After this hectic opening, Tunisia settled and the match was even for the next twenty minutes. In the 31st minute, Japan advanced through the middle and after the defenders kept hanging off him, Ayase Ueda drilled a low shot from the edge of the area into the far corner, 2-0 to Japan. That was the score at half time. Would Japan continue as they left off, or could Tunisia turn things around?

After 68 minutes, Junya Ito latched onto a through ball; and slotted under the keeper, 3-0 to Japan. Then after 83 minutes Ayase Ueda looped a far post header into the far corner of the net, over the goalie and two defenders. 4-0 to the Blue Samurai. And it stayed that way through to full time.

Kamada's opening goal was the earliest goal that Japan have scored in World Cup Finals matches. Japan's win - their largest ever at a Finals tournament - moved them level with the Netherlands at the top of Group F, while Tunisia was eliminated.

This was the 1000th match played in World Cup finals tournaments. In recognition, the Romanian referee István Kovács wore a patch on his arm that read: Match 1000.

Answer: Two

In light rain in the 2nd minute Ismael Gharbi got onto the end of a good cross but his half volley sailed over the bar. In the 3rd minute a cross from Dutchman Donyell Malen was put into his own net by Ellyes Skhiri. 1-0 to the Netherlands. In the 7th minute a free kick was headed back across goal by Virgil van Dyke into the path of Brian Brobbey, who smashed it into the goal. 2-0 to the Netherlands. In the 12th minute, Tunisia's Anis Slimane had a free header but could only find the arms of keeper Bart Verbruggen. In the 15th minute Hannibal Mejbri completely missed his header in front of goal, possibly due to his mop of hair being in the wrong place at the wrong time. In the 28th minute Ryan Gravenberch's shot was deflected behind. In the 29th minute Malen curled a shot wide of the Tunisian goal. In the 30th minute Cody Gakpo's header for the Dutch was neither an attempt on goal or a cut back in, and it was cleared. In the 41st minute Gakpo was through on goal but the keeper Aymen Dahmen got to the ball just before him. Score at half time, 2-0 to the Netherlands.

In the 51st minute, Denzil Dumfries' volley was blocked. In the 53rd minute, Yan Valery's cross was blocked by Jan Paul Van Hecke. From the resulting corner for Hannibal, Hazem Mastouri scored with an unchallenged header. 2-1 to the Netherlands. The rain was coming down hard now. Would it rain on the Dutch parade? In the 62nd minute, Van Hecke's header from a corner found the far corner of the net. 3-1 to the Netherlands. In the 66th minute, a delicate chip from an unidentified Dutchman bounced down off the underside of the crossbar with goalie stranded out near the spot. In the 76th minute Hannibal's shot from distance was tipped over by Verbruggen. In the 77th minute, Tunisia's Elias Achouri blazed wide. In the 78th minute, van Dyke's header was easily held by Dahmen. In the 88th minute Dahmen safely grabbed a cross. Full time, 3-1 to the Netherlands.

As a result of this match, the Netherlands topped the group. Japan's draw with Sweden saw the Japanese finished second. Both progressed to the Round of 32. Sweden had to wait to see if they were one of the eight-best third-placed teams. Tunisia was eliminated.
This was the first time in 58 World Cup Finals matches that the Netherlands had scored twice in the first seven minutes of a game.

Answer: 1-1

In the 6th minute Japan's keeper Zion Suzuki saved comfortably from Alexander Bernhardsson's shot. In the 17th minute a Japanese cross sailed harmlessly into the hands of Swedish keeper Jacob Zetterstrom. In the 22nd minute, Daizen Maeda sent a header form a cross over the top. In the 40th minute Yukinari Sugawara had a log range show which was comfortably held by Zetterstrom. In the 45th minute Keito Nakamura had a fine shot in the box tipped around the corner. 0-0 at half time. In the 48th minute, Ao Tanaka had a shot from distance which went over the top. In the 49th minute, Sweden's Lucas Bergvall had his cross deflected for a corner. In the 53rd minute Zetterstrom pulled off a fantastic reflex save from Daichi Kamada, but Kamada was ruled offside.

In the 55th minute, the breakthrough. A wonderful passing move on the edge of the area saw a through ball to Maeda, who slotted the ball past the keeper.1-0 to Japan. In the 62nd minute, Anthony Elanga equalised for Sweden when he snapped a curling shot into the far corner from the corner of the area, score was now 1-1. In the 65th minute Alexander Isak got the ball from some shoddy Japanese control and let go with a first time shot that Suziki parried away. In the 83rd minute, Koki Ogawa had to stretch to meet a cross and as a result his effort went high over the bar. In the 3rd minute of stoppage time Elanga's hard shot across the goal was parried away by Suzuki. From the resulting corner, Isak's flicked header was smartly saved by Suzuki. Full time score was 1-1.

This was the first time Japan had gone unbeaten in a World Cup finals group stage. Japan finished second behind the Netherlands, who topped the group after their victory over Tunisia. Both progressed to the Round of 32. Sweden had to wait to see if they were one of the eight-best third- placed teams. Tunisia was eliminated.

Answer: Brian Brobbey (Netherlands)

rian Brobbey burst onto the scene in Matchday 2, scoring a couple against Sweden, then followed it up in the next match with another goal against Tunisia. The other players in this list, Summerville, Elanga and Kamada all scored twice in the group, as did Sweden's Yasin Ayari.
There was one own goal scored in the group, Tunisia's Elles Skhiri putting through his own goal in the 3rd minute versus the Netherlands.

Answer: Netherlands

The Netherlands racked up ten on the credit side, followed by Japan and Sweden with seven each, and Tunisia scored two. That's a healthy average of four and a half goals per match across the group.

Answer: Tunisia

Tunisia were the whipping boys of this group with twelve conceded. Sweden let in seven, group winner Netherlands 4 and Japan were the most defensively minded, allowing three past.