The second round of group-stage games for Liverpool players at the 2026 World Cup is done, and not everything went the way you might have expected.
In a round of matches that included one Red scoring the 100th goal of the tournament and another having a match to forget against his Liverpool teammates, there was plenty to take in from this round of matches.
If you caught the previous ratings for the first round of group-stage action, you might remember that Cody Gakpo was disappointing, and Alexander Isak was on fire. Spoiler Alert: This week was quite different.
Let’s take a deeper look at how each Liverpool player performed in their second group-stage match of the tournament.
Alisson Becker: 8/10 — Brazil 3 - 0 Haiti
Alisson put his substandard performance in the 1-1 draw against Morocco behind him and showed his quality to help Brazil to its first win of the tournament.
The Selecao have received some criticism for failing to reach the performance levels of legendary Brazilian teams of the past, so securing a comfortable win against Haiti was a must.
Some fans might have expected that this match would be a walk in the park for Alisson — and for 63 minutes, they would have been right. But the best goalkeepers stay switched on and ready to deliver for 90 minutes.
After being little more than a spectator for over an hour, Alisson produced a stunning reflex save to deny Ricardo Ade’s bullet header from point-blank range. The keeper faced two more testing shots on goal in the dying minutes and saved well to secure the clean sheet.
The 3-0 win against Haiti sets Brazil up nicely in their bid to finish top of Group C. Although equal on four points with Morocco, the South Americans have a +3 goal difference to Morocco’s +1.
Brazil face Scotland next. The Scots have only scored one goal so far — in the narrow victory over Haiti in their opening game. Alisson might fancy his chances of registering another clean sheet in Miami, which will go some way toward helping Brazil finish as group leaders.
Virgil van Dijk: 7.5/10 (Netherlands 5-1 Sweden)
The Netherlands’ meeting with Sweden showcased four of Liverpool’s seven players at this World Cup. (Fun fact: There was even more familiarity elsewhere on the field, with 13 of the 22 starters being Premier League players.)
Virgil van Dijk led his team into this game knowing that they needed to get something in the win column after their disappointing 2-2 draw against Japan, and the Dutch duly delivered with an emphatic 5-1 win.
The Liverpool skipper, alongside Tottenham Hotspur’s Jan Paul van Hecke, nullified the Swedish front two for almost the entire match. Isak and Viktor Gyokeres were both on fire in Sweden’s 5-1 win against Tunisia, but they failed to threaten here due to resolute defending from the Dutchmen.
That solid back line allowed the Netherlands to score freely at the other end and build a four-goal lead within an hour. Substitute Anthony Elanga pulled one back for Sweden on 59 minutes, but at that point, the damage was already done.
The Netherlands face Tunisia next, who are out of the competition after their 4-0 defeat to Japan in their last match, and Virgil will be looking at that fixture as a good chance for the Oranje to register their first clean sheet of the tournament.
Ryan Gravenberch: 7.5/10 (Netherlands 5-1 Sweden)
Ryan Gravenberch built on his impressive performance vs. Japan with another solid box-to-box display against Sweden. The tireless midfielder covered practically every blade of grass in Houston Stadium.
His impact in midfield, along with the aforementioned good work of the defensive line, kept Sweden’s potent attack at bay for most of the game.
As the defensive anchor in midfield, he made three interceptions and won three tackles to break up opposition moves before they could develop, and then transitioned the play into attacks for the Netherlands.
Gravenberch is a key cog in the Dutch machine with impactful play all over the field. After playing 80 minutes against Japan and the full 90 against Sweden, he will likely be rested for at least part of the Tunisia match as the Dutch start to look ahead to the knockout stages.
Cody Gakpo: 9.5/10 (Netherlands 5-1 Sweden)
Well, that’s more like it!
Liverpool’s Dutch winger bounced back from a tepid performance in the opening game to dazzle in this match against Sweden.
He wasted no time having an impact. It took only five minutes for Gakpo to make his mark and assist Brian Brobbey to open the scoring. In a sweeping counter-attack, Gakpo worked some space on the left flank and sent in a pinpoint low cross that needed only a tap-in.
On 47 minutes, it was Gakpo’s turn to tap in to put the Netherlands 3-0 up in a goal that was practically a mirror image of the first. Denzel Dumfries sent in a similar low cross to the far post from the right wing, and Gakpo was there to put it away.
Gakpo’s next goal was a real beauty — a trademark cut-inside-and-smash-it finish, reminiscent of legendary Dutch winger Arjen Robben. It was also the 100th goal of this World Cup, which has not failed to deliver in the goals department so early in the tournament.
It was a man of the match performance from the Liverpool winger.
After Tunisia conceded four goals against Japan last time out, Gakpo will be licking his lips at the prospect of testing the Tunisian defence next.
Alexander Isak: 6.5/10 (Netherlands 5-1 Sweden)
With the commanding all-round performance of his Liverpool colleagues and their countrymen, it proved difficult for Isak to make his mark in this match.
He struggled to get into any sort of rhythm, and along with his strike partner Gyokeres, he was kept quiet for the majority of the game.
Isak also made a costly mistake that led to the Netherlands' fourth goal and Gakpo's second. The striker dithered on the ball in the Netherlands box and was dispossessed by Frenkie de Jong, before the orange shirts flew forward with a punishing counter-attack.
Moments after that goal, though, he assisted Anthony Elanga to pull one back for the Swedes. With 59 minutes on the clock, the Liverpool striker played a well-measured through ball for Elanga to run on to and finish past the Netherlands goalkeeper. Unfortunately, that moment was the only real positive in a lukewarm performance from Isak.
Sweden faces Japan next, and the No. 9 will be hoping to get back among the goals against a less imposing defensive line.
Florian Wirtz: 7.5/10 (Germany 2-1 Ivory Coast)
Germany were favourites going into this game, but they found themselves 1-0 down with half an hour played at Toronto Stadium. Florian Wirtz started on the left flank, and although that isn’t his preferred position, he put in a solid display.
After great work closing down to win the ball back for Germany in the final third, the playmaker stayed composed to tee up Kai Havertz for what would have been the equalizer, but the referee ruled it out after a foul by Jamal Musiala in the buildup.
He showed some deft touches throughout the match, but it just lacked the penetration to unlock the Ivory Coast defence.
Ivorian defender Wilfried Singo put in a robust performance at right-back, and Wirtz was often forced into playing sideways passes from the left wing rather than making a more progressive pass in the final third.
He finished the game with a stat sheet that included three successful dribbles, two tackles won, and an 85% pass-success rate from the left wing.
Germany are up against Ecuador next, and with two wins in two, they are likely to make changes for that game. Wirtz has played every minute for Germany so far at this World Cup and may be given some rest to be in optimal shape for the knockout rounds.
Alexis Mac Allister: 7.5/10 (Argentina 2-0 Austria)
In a game that was all about the record-breaking Lionel Messi, Alexis Mac Allister went quietly about his business to good effect.
You might have been too busy marveling at Messi becoming the World Cup’s greatest goalscorer of all time to notice that Mac Allister led the team with four tackles completed and had a pass-success rate of 94%.
In his deep-lying midfield role, Alexis was there to mop up and make sure the Argentinian back line was practically untested for the majority of the match in Dallas Stadium. Austria only managed to register one shot on target in the entire match.
The trophy-holders next go up against Jordan, who were eliminated after losing 2-1 to Algeria.
Argentina have already qualified for the next round after winning both of their games, and after two 90-minute displays, you can expect that Mac Allister will be rested for at least part of the match against Jordan.
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