World Cup viral star Tim Payne provides first assist in New Zealand's loss to Egypt

Tim Payne, a New Zealand footballer who became a viral sensation during the World Cup, registered his first assist of the tournament in his team's 3-1 defeat to Egypt on June 21. The defender's contribution came in the 15th minute of the match, opening the scoring for New Zealand. Payne executed a corner kick from the left, finding Finn Surman's head for the goal.

Payne, 32, previously played for Wellington Phoenix in New Zealand's domestic league. His global recognition surged dramatically due to a viral campaign by Argentinian influencer Valentín Scarsini, who sought out the "least known player" in the World Cup. Payne's low Instagram follower count at the time caught Scarsini's attention, prompting him to rally his community to support Payne. This led to Payne's follower count skyrocketing from under 5,000 to millions, transforming him into one of the tournament's most talked-about figures.

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The defender was in charge of executing it. With an aerial launch from left to right, he managed to find Finn Surman's head and the zero was broken.

Despite Payne's assist and New Zealand's early lead, the team could not maintain their advantage. Egypt mounted a comeback in the second half, with Mostafa Ziko, Mohamed Salah, and Trézéguet scoring to secure a 3-1 victory. This win placed Egypt at the top of their group, followed by Iran and Belgium, who are tied with two points each. New Zealand is currently last in the group with one point.

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Payne went from having less than 5,000 followers to accumulating millions.