A goal, a prayer and a standing ovation for Cody Gakpo amid personal grief

GUADALUPE, Mexico (AP) — After scoring in the 72nd minute, Cody Gakpo immediately sank to his knees.

As his teammates immediately rushed toward him in celebration, the 27-year-old forward covered his face while weeping, later pointing to the sky and appearing to pray.

While this marked Gakpo’s third goal of the World Cup, this goal in the Round of 32 loss to Morocco on Monday was especially emotional for him.

On Saturday, Gakpo and his partner, model Noa van der Bij, announced the death of their unborn child.

Despite the grief, Gakpo was determined to continue on in the tournament.

“I think he dealt with it very well,” Netherlands head coach Ronald Koeman had said before the game. “There was never a moment where he said he wanted to leave the squad and go home. That says a lot about his maturity and the way in which he can deal with this.”

And just as Gakpo has been a key contributor for the Oranje, his teammates have been there to support him and his family during this difficult time.

“The most important thing is to ask, ‘What do you need?’” Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk said. “It’s awful news, and reminds us that football is secondary and there are much more important things in life.”

In the 113th minute, Gakpo was substituted off for Justin Kluivert.

As he walked off the pitch, the Netherlands fans in a section behind the goal immediately rose for a standing ovation. As Gakpo rounded the corner toward the bench, the applause only grew louder — a show of appreciation for someone who showed up for his team while dealing with tragedy.

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Maya Koluder-Ramirez is a student in the University of Georgia’s Carmical Sports Media Institute. ____

See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here