It’s Not Just Stars Making A World Cup Impact

They’re the un-Messis, the not-Mbappés. They’re not even Haalands or Kanes. While the biggest names in soccer are getting the most attention at the World Cup, the expanded tournament also has provided some unheralded players with moments to shine. Here’s a look at some of their exploits through the opening matches that concluded Wednesday. Spoiler alert: Vozinha would have been on this list, but at 13 million Instagram followers and counting, the 40-year-old Cape Verde goalkeeper has become too famous for it. Livano Comenencia became the first-ever World Cup goal scorer for the smallest-ever country to qualify for the tournament. Curaçao fans may not remember their team’s 7-1 thrashing at the hands of Germany. They’re more likely to recall Comenencia’s strike from just inside the box. “The goal was absolutely fantastic for all of us, for the nation as well,” winger Kenji Gorre said. “It’s more history being made. The first goal ever scored on the world stage, it’s just phenomenal, and we’re all grateful that we were here to experience it (with) all the people in the stadium.” Comenencia, a 22-year-old midfielder who plays for Zurich in the Swiss Super League, has only recently reached the senior level. He played for the reserve teams of PSV Eindhoven and Juventus before securing a move to Zurich before the 2025-26 season. Now he has a World Cup goal to his name. While the 35-year-old center back won’t get credit for the goal, Boualem Khoukhi leaped with Swiss midfielder Miro Muheim for a cross and forced Muheim into scoring an own goal that equalized the match in stoppage time. Khoukhi celebrated the goal like it was his own, wheeling away to the corner of the pitch as his teammates mobbed him on the ground. His efforts helped Qatar secure its first-ever World Cup point. Despite playing professionally for more than 15 years, Khoukhi has hardly ever left Qatar. The defender spent the first seven years of his senior career at Al-Arabi and the last nine years at Al-Sadd. Jovo Lukic had never scored for Bosnia before its opening draw against tournament co-host Canada. Playing for Universitatea Cluj in Romania, Lukic had made just one appearance for his country before May 29. However, with Edin Dzeko and Haris Tabakovic injured, Lukic was called upon to make his first competitive appearance for Bosnia in Toronto. The striker smashed in a header from close range off a corner kick in the first half and will forever be the answer to the trivia question, “Who scored the first World Cup goal on Canadian soil?” Elijah Just was perfectly composed in New Zealand’s opening match. He needed just two shots to score twice against Iran in a 2-2 draw. The winger plays for Scottish club Motherwell and has also played in Denmark and Austria. He became the first New Zealand player to score two goals in a World Cup game. Not a bad way to score your first international goal. Emam Ashour’s outside-the-box blast opened Egypt’s World Cup scoring in a 1-1 draw against European power Belgium. Teammate Mostafa Zico was so excited for Ashour that he knocked the goal scorer over during the celebration. Despite the stars on the pitch in Seattle — including Jérémy Doku, Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah — it was the Al Ahly winger who was named man of the match. Ashour has played just one season in Europe, spending most of his professional career in Egypt and Saudi Arabia. But then, the World Cup has a habit of featuring unlikely stars. Reporting by The Associated Press.