The morning of June 21 (Kyiv time) brought several headline results: Japan thrashed Tunisia in a match with a unique serial number, Germany staged a dramatic comeback to defeat Ivory Coast, and Curaçao earned the first point in their World Cup history. All three matches concluded after 08:00 Kyiv time and were not included in the morning digest.
The 1,000th match in World Cup history — and Japan won it
The Japan–Tunisia clash in Monterrey made history: it was the 1,000th match in the official history of the FIFA World Cup. Japan marked the milestone with a convincing 4:0 victory. Daichi Kamada opened the scoring as early as the 4th minute, while Ayase Ueda found the net twice. Junya Ito also got on the scoresheet.
With this result, Japan collected 4 points in Group F and moved to the brink of advancing to the round of 32. For Tunisia's new coach Hervé Renard — hastily appointed after the dismissal of Sabri Lamouchi — his tournament debut proved unsuccessful.
Germany return to the knockout stage for the first time since 2014
The most dramatic match of the night took place in Toronto: Germany defeated Ivory Coast 2:1 and secured a place in the knockout stage for the first time since 2014, when the squad won the World Cup title. Franck Kessié opened the scoring in the first half, but substitute Deniz Undav levelled the match in the 68th minute before scoring the winner in stoppage time.
Coach Julian Nagelsmann highlighted the impact of the bench forward after the match: "He can come on and decide the game straight away." Undav became the fourth player in World Cup history to score both an equaliser and a winner as a substitute in the same match. Nagelsmann also confirmed an injury to defender Nico Schlotterbeck, who had to be replaced at half-time: "We need to wait for the scan results, but it doesn't look good."
Curaçao and a goalkeeper record: 15 saves and a first-ever point
Meanwhile in Kansas City, a real sensation unfolded: Curaçao drew 0:0 with Ecuador and earned their first point in their debut World Cup appearance. The hero of the match was goalkeeper Eloy Room, who made 15 saves — a record for matches without extra time since 1966, equalling Tim Howard's achievement in 2014. Ecuador had 28 shots, 15 of them on target, but Room remained unbeatable.
In the stands of Arrowhead Stadium — home arena of the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs — Ecuadorian fans far outnumbered the rest, yet Curaçao were cheered on by Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima.
Tonight — Spain, Belgium, Uruguay
Tonight at the 2026 World Cup: Spain vs Saudi Arabia (Group H, Atlanta), Belgium vs Iran (Group G, Inglewood), Uruguay vs Cape Verde (Group H, Miami), and New Zealand vs Egypt (Group G, Vancouver). A detailed preview will follow.
