With the 2nd set of group games now complete, several teams have already booked their places in the Round of 32, a few have seen their hopes take a painful hit Twenty-four more matches into the tournament and the FIFA World Cup 2026 is beginning to develop a clear identity. More records have fallen. More upsets have arrived. More chaos has unfolded. If the opening round tore up the script, the second round proved the script was never coming back.Visitors to a mall pass by retail promotion related to the FIFA World Cup in Beijing, China, Wednesday, June 24 (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)With the second set of group-stage fixtures now complete, several teams have already booked their places in the Round of 32, a few have seen their hopes take a painful hit, and others continue to survive on a wing and a prayer. Along the way, goalkeepers, record-breakers and debutants have produced moments that are already finding a place in World Cup folklore.A goalfest or a World Cup for the goalkeepers?After 44 matches, the World Cup has already produced 128 goals, averaging almost three goals per game (2.9). Unlike the opening round, draws were less frequent this time, with only four matches ending level, three of them goalless. There have also been nine own goals so far.The tournament is on course to comfortably surpass the 172-goal record set in Qatar in 2022. While the comparison is not entirely fair given that the 2026 edition features 104 matches compared to 64 in Qatar, the projected total after 64 games would still be around 194 goals.More than half the goals scored so far have come from players representing clubs in Europe's top three leagues — England, Spain and Germany — with the Premier League leading the way. At club level, players from Liverpool FC, Real Madrid and Inter Miami CF have contributed the most goals.Yet, despite the scoring explosion, the tournament's most unexpected subplot has belonged to the goalkeepers.The opening round gave us Vozinha of Cape Verde. The second round delivered two more remarkable stories.Curacao's Eloy Room celebrates after the match (REUTERS)At 37, Eloy Room, who currently plays club football in Portugal's second division, conceded seven goals in Curacao's heavy defeat to Germany. A week later, he produced one of the finest goalkeeping displays in World Cup history, making 15 saves as the debutants secured a remarkable 0-0 draw against Ecuador despite enjoying only 25 per cent possession.Then there was Alireza Beiranvand. Against Belgium in Los Angeles, amid travel restrictions and visa complications that forced Iran to leave host cities almost immediately after matches, the 33-year-old delivered a heroic performance. His seven saves earned Iran a valuable point and kept their knockout hopes alive.The stars have alignedLionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland all produced braces in the second round.For Messi, the two goals against Austria took his World Cup tally to 18, making him the leading scorer in World Cup history across men's and women's football.Mbappe struck twice against Iraq in a weather-disrupted contest and now sits only two goals behind Messi's record. Haaland also scored twice in Norway's dramatic 3-2 win over Senegal, adding another layer to what is becoming a fascinating Golden Boot race.But perhaps the biggest story belonged to Cristiano Ronaldo. His first-half brace against Uzbekistan powered Portugal to a 5-0 victory and made him the first player in history to score in six different World Cups — 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026.Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo (7) is visible on a screen with the score after the World Cup Group K soccer match between Portugal and Uzbekistan (AP Photo/Karen Warren)Messi is the only other player to appear at six World Cups, but he failed to score in the 2010 edition. Whatever the debate surrounding Ronaldo's age or role, nobody has ever achieved what he did on Tuesday.Europe bounce backAfter a shaky opening round, Europe's traditional powers responded strongly. Spain dismantled Saudi Arabia 4-0. Portugal recovered from their shock draw against DR Congo. Germany secured qualification with victory over Ivory Coast. France and Norway made it two wins from two. The Netherlands were particularly impressive, hammering Sweden 5-1.England, however, bucked the trend. After their thrilling 4-2 victory over Croatia, Thomas Tuchel's side produced one of the tournament's strangest performances against Ghana. England enjoyed 79 per cent possession and completed more than 430 passes in the opposition half, yet failed to score. The 0-0 draw was England's 13th goalless result in World Cup history.African nations once again showed they are no longer in the tournament merely to participate. Inspired by Mohamed Salah, Egypt beat New Zealand 3-1. Morocco defeated Scotland to remain firmly in contention for qualification. Cape Verde continued their dream run with a brave draw against Uruguay.From Asia, Japan hammered Tunisia 4-0 to book their place in the knockout stage. South Korea defeated Uzbekistan, while Iran held Belgium.Moment of the roundThere were two.Messi's brace against Austria naturally headlines the list. It took him past Miroslav Klose and Marta to become the outright leading scorer in World Cup history and strengthened his grip on the Golden Boot race.Yet the more inspiring story belongs to Cape Verde.The island nation of just over 500,000 people, making their World Cup debut this summer, stunned Spain with a 0-0 draw before holding Uruguay 2-2. The Blue Sharks are now on the verge of producing one of the most remarkable qualification stories in World Cup history.Their final group game against Saudi Arabia on Saturday will attract global attention.Cape Verde's forward #26 Helio Varela celebrates with teammates after scoring his team's second goal during the 2026 World Cup Group H match (AFP)The bigger pictureSeven teams, including Argentina, Germany and France, have already qualified for the Round of 32. Five nations, Jordan, Tunisia, Panama, Türkiye and Haiti, have been eliminated.The remaining teams, including genuine title contenders such as Spain, Brazil and Portugal, still have work to do heading into the final round of group matches.Fifty-two teams remain in the tournament. Twenty-four group-stage matches are left. And by the end of them, the World Cup's knockout bracket will finally be complete.Aratrick Mondal is a senior sports journalist based in New Delhi. In his eight years as a sports writer, Aratrick has worked at leading media organisations, including The Times of India, Times Now, Zee, India TV and currently works at a senior position at Hindustan Times Digital. He writes on cricket, football, pickleball and tennis, among other sports.