Barcelona World Cup Spotlight: Frenkie de Jong suffers heartbreak as Jules Kounde advances | OneFootball

The 2026 FIFA World Cup knockout stage has brought contrasting emotions for Barcelona players, with two members of Hansi Flick’s squad involved in high-stakes encounters over the last two days.

While the Netherlands saw their World Cup journey come to a painful end against Morocco, France continued their march towards the latter stages of the tournament with a commanding victory over Sweden.

Frenkie de Jong and Jules Kounde both featured prominently for their respective countries, but their experiences could hardly have been more different.

Here is a closer look at how the Barcelona players at the 2026 FIFA World Cup performed during the latest round of knockout fixtures.

De Jong struggles as Netherlands crash out

The Netherlands suffered one of the biggest shocks of the Round of 32 after being eliminated by Morocco on penalties following a dramatic 1-1 draw after extra time.

Netherlands are out of the World Cup. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Goals from Cody Gakpo and Issa Diop during normal time forced the contest beyond 90 minutes, but neither side could find a winner before the shootout.

What followed was a chaotic sequence from the spot, with two players from each team missing the target. 

Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou emerged as the hero after saving Crysencio Summerville’s effort before Ismael Saibari converted the decisive penalty to seal a 3-2 shootout victory.

For Frenkie de Jong, it was a frustrating evening, as the Barcelona midfielder found himself operating in a side that spent long periods without possession as the Dutch adopted a cautious approach, particularly after taking the lead and later after Morocco equalised.

As a result, the Barcelona World Cup star was unable to dictate the tempo in the way he usually does.

De Jong was eventually replaced by Marten de Roon in the 110th minute after appearing to suffer a minor physical issue.

Although his display against Morocco was below his usual standards, the midfielder still leaves the 2026 FIFA World Cup with respectable numbers.

The Barcelona midfielder started all four matches for the Netherlands, accumulating 331 minutes of action and recording an impressive 94.2% passing accuracy rate.

However, Dutch legend Rafael van der Vaart was highly critical of De Jong’s performance after the match.

Speaking about the Barcelona midfielder, he said: “Frenkie de Jong played the worst match I have ever seen from him.”

Despite the harsh assessment, De Jong’s overall World Cup campaign remains a positive one, even if it ended in disappointment.

Kounde delivers his best World Cup display

Kounde put on a solid performance vs Sweden. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

Unlike De Jong, Jules Kounde enjoyed a memorable outing as France comfortably defeated Sweden 3-0 to secure their place in the Round of 16.

France will now prepare for a meeting with Paraguay as they continue their pursuit of another World Cup triumph.

Operating at right-back, Kounde played 75 minutes and was one of France’s standout performers on the night.

The Barcelona defender produced a complete display both defensively and offensively.

He finished the match with two clearances, three ball recoveries and won two aerial duels, helping France preserve an important clean sheet.

Going forward, Kounde also showed greater confidence than in previous matches during the tournament.

The French international registered one key pass, created a major scoring opportunity during the first half and completed 23 of his 26 attempted passes.

Arguably, it was Kounde’s strongest attacking performance of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.