The 2026 World Cup is still only at the end of the second round of the group stage, but it has already produced enough drama, comebacks and late goals to fill several tournaments. A recurring theme has stood out across the competition: super-subs, players brought on from the bench who changed games, scored decisive goals or shifted momentum at crucial moments.
At No. 10, Bradley Barcola came off the bench in the 80th minute for France against Senegal and immediately finished elegantly to seal a 3-1 win. Romelu Lukaku, despite missing much of the season in Italy because of injury, entered in the 66th minute for Belgium against Egypt and forced an own goal almost instantly, leaving a huge impression in a 1-1 draw. Canada’s Kyle Larin and Promise David combined for a quick equalizer against Bosnia, with Larin scoring two minutes after coming on in the 76th minute.
Other decisive cameos included Jung Yoo-gyu, who scored South Korea’s winner against Czechia after entering in the 69th minute, and Amad Diallo, who emerged from the bench in the 56th minute for Ivory Coast and scored in the 90th minute to beat Ecuador 1-0. Brazil’s Matheus Cunha, chosen ahead of Igor Thiago, responded with a brace in a 3-0 win over Haiti.
Cape Verde’s Helio Varela, a Maccabi Tel Aviv winger, came on in the 58th minute and scored three minutes later to rescue a 2-2 draw with Uruguay. Switzerland’s Johan Manzambi and Ruben Vargas sparked a late surge in a 4-1 win over Bosnia, while Dutch striker Brian Brobbey scored twice early in a 5-1 rout of Sweden.
Top spot went to Germany’s Deniz Undav, who had 19 league goals and six assists last season and delivered again against Ivory Coast. After scoring and assisting against Curacao previously, he came on in the 60th minute with Germany trailing 1-0, equalized eight minutes later from a Nadiem Amiri cross, then scored the winner after a brilliant pass from Felix Nmecha to secure first place in the group.
