World Cup 2026: Lamine Yamal helps Mikel Oyarzabal bounce back after dismal first game as Cristiano Ronaldo and Ousmane Dembele return to form

'It's a marathon, not a sprint'. That type of rhetoric can be used frequently in tournaments such as the World Cup.

Look at Argentina in 2022. Saudi Arabia stunned them in their Qatar opener and at that point many wrote them off. How did they respond? Only by going all the way to win it.

'Bouncebackability' is not something that can normally be measured, but being able to showcase it is crucial for any athlete looking to overcome setbacks. That is especially the case at a World Cup, where the games come so fast that there is no time to dwell.

With that in mind, let's look at some of the stars who put their matchday-one struggles behind them most effectively in the second round of group-stage games in this edition of 'True Performance'.