Day four of the 2026 World Cup ramped up the entertainment factor with goals aplenty.
In fact, with 19 scored, it was the most goal-laden day in any World Cup since 1962.
A significant portion of those were conceded by Curaçao. The World Cup debutants made a rough landing, but there was still a nice landmark for their manager, Dick Advocaat, which we’ll be looking at here.
Another Dutchman, Virgil van Dijk, made a telling contribution on Sunday as well, while today’s Ask Opta question gets us to dig into tournament records for goals and goals per game.
But first…
👏 STAT - Advocaat the Eldest
Dick Advocaat smashed the record as the oldest manager in men’s FIFA World Cup history on Sunday, as he led Curaçao in their Group E clash against Germany in Houston.
The Dutchman, aged 78 years and 260 days on the day, became the first coach to take charge of a game in the competition aged over 75 years old.
It ended with a slightly chastening 7-1 defeat, but there was at least the wonderful moment of Livano Comenencia scoring Curaçao’s first ever World Cup goal.
With his side still guaranteed to play two more games at the 2026 World Cup, Advocaat will extend that record later in these finals. When Curaçao play Ivory Coast on 25 June in their final group match, he’ll be 78 years, 271 days old.