After Canada’s dramatic win over South Africa on Sunday, World Cup knockout matches continued.
The day began at the home of NASA’s headquarters in Houston, Texas. Brazil were facing Japan. That afternoon in Boston, Germany was facing Paraguay in their first knockout game since 2014, the year they won the World Cup. The evening game took place in Monterrey with two dark horses: the Netherlands and Morocco. The winner of that game would face Canada in the Round of 16.
Let’s go over the day’s action, starting with Brazil vs Japan.
Brazil vs Japan: Martinelli wins it late
Brazil, in their iconic yellow kits, controlled the game early. Casemiro and Bruno Guimarães were dictating the game in the midfield as they were trying to send Vinicius Jr and Matheus Cunha off to the races. However, Japanese goalkeeper Zion Suzuki and his defenders did well to hold their ground.
The Japanese struck first. Mainz’s Kaishu Sano made an incredible run and beat Alisson. Sano left Casemiro in the dust. The Japanese fans in Houston and the ones back in Japan were sent into a frenzy. Brazil had its back against the wall.
Brazil were locking in. They were forcing turnovers in the midfield and buzzing around the Japanese box. However, Japan was crowding the box and blocking shots from Vinicius Jr and Lucas Paqueta.
Japan were making it difficult for Brazil to attack with their structure. Brazil also looked like they were out of ideas.
In the second half, Japan was content with more defending and relying on the counterattack. Brazil nearly tied the game 6 minutes into the second half. Danilo’s ball found Guimarães. But Suzuki made an incredible save.
Not long after, there was an unreal sequence. Suzuki was caught out of position, but Takahiro Tomiyasu cleared Cunha’s header before it pinballed off Suzuki. Unreal.
But you could feel it coming for Brazil. Casemiro made up for his mistake on the Sano goal. He was standing by the back post, and he headed Gabriel’s cross past Suzuki. The fans in yellow and green came alive. Game on.
Vinicius Jr then nearly scored one of the best goals of the tournament. The Real Madrid star danced his way past Tomiyasu and the Japanese defenders, but Suzuki just got a finger on it. Wow!
Brazil continued with their possession. However, Japan shut down the middle and wide areas. Neither team wanted to make a mistake.
It looked like this game was going to extra time. But substitute Gabriel Martinelli had other ideas. Five minutes into stoppage time, Brazil moved the ball well, and Japan was hanging by a thread. Martinelli found some space in between the Japanese defenders. Japan defended well, but not at the most crucial moment. What a ball from Guimarães as well.
It was delirium for Brazil and heartbreak for Japan. The Japanese made mistakes at crucial times, and Brazil made them pay. The Samurai Blue weren’t ambitious enough and didn’t bother to kill the game off and let Brazil get back in it.
Brazil will face either Côte d’Ivoire or Norway at New York/New Jersey Stadium on July 5.
Germany vs Paraguay
Paraguay gave Germany an early scare two minutes in. Julio Enciso’s corner found Junior Alonso by the far post. But the veteran goalkeeper Manuel Neuer managed to make a point-blank save.
The Germans then started to build some steam with their pressing. Paraguay were bunkering down in the box with their low block and cutting out any German attack.
Well, there was steam building from Germany, but the engine wasn’t leaving the station. They couldn’t get the fire in the engine’s smokebox to start properly. Germany was lacking creativity. It was mostly sideways and backwards passes.
Paraguay made Germany pay for their lack of attack. The Germans couldn’t clear the corner kick, and Matias Galarza’s cross found the head of Julio Enciso. The Strasbourg attacking midfielder scored a goal that will live in the memory of Paraguayan fans forever.
It was a boring first half, but Paraguay were in front. It was now or never for Germany.
Germany started the second half with more urgency. They were moving the ball around much quicker and more forward, and made more crosses. In the 54th minute, Arsenal’s Kai Havertz flicked on Florian Wirtz’s cross into the net. Germany’s World Cup dreams were still alive.
Paraguay were starting to get frustrated as they could barely break out of their own half, so they started getting physical. To make things worse, Enciso was taken off due to an apparent injury. For Germany, Jamal Musiala was brought on for extra creativity. The Bayern Munich star also brought some extra pace in the central attacking midfielder position.
Havertz almost got his brace in the 78th minute, but Paraguayan goalkeeper Orlando Gill made a brilliant save. The chances were coming for the Germans, but the Paraguayans were stubborn with their defence.
As a result, for the first time at this World Cup, we were going to extra time. Once again, Germany was firing crosses into the box. Nobody could get onto them.
That was until the 102nd minute. Jonathan Tah leaped up into the air while he was standing by the back post. Not a single Paraguayan player marked him. Tah headed the ball from the corner kick into the net, and their fans erupted.
But the referee had to be called to the VAR monitor. Then, it was disallowed because it looked like Waldemar Anton committed goalkeeper interference. But it did look like Gill went down easily.
Andres Cubas was putting in the work in the midfield for Paraguay while Jose Canale and captain Gustavo Gomez were holding the line at the back.
The Germans were still pressing. They nearly got the winner late into the second frame of extra time. Anton’s header went right to Gill.
But extra time solved nothing. For the first time at this World Cup, we were going to the drama of penalty kicks.
Havertz was the first penalty taker. He did the stutter step, but the shot was denied by Gill.
This was one of the craziest penalty shootouts ever. For Germany, Joshua Kimmich and Jamal Musiala converted the next two. Paraguay’s Mauricio, Gustavo Gomez and Galarza converted for their country.
Paraguay had a chance to pull off the big upset after Nick Woltemade was stopped by Gill.
But Antonio Sanabria’s nerves got the best of him. His penalty kick went wide of the left post, which gave Germany some life.
Nadiem Amiri converted to keep Germany in it. But Fabian Balbuena had a chance to win it. Neuer denied the veteran defender the chance to be the hero. Crazy scenes.
After getting his goal disallowed in extra time, Tah had the chance to put Germany in the lead. However, he skied his penalty kick. Boston Stadium is home to the New England Patriots, but Tah was playing the wrong kind of football.
The third time was the charm for Paraguay. Lanus defender Jose Canale set the Germans packing. It was a major upset! Unreal.
Paraguay will face either France or Sweden at Philadelphia Stadium on the Fourth of July.
Netherlands and Morocco:
Canada and Canadian soccer fans were watching this one closely. The Netherlands or Morocco would be their next opponent.
Early on, Morocco hit the accelerator. They would’ve been off to the races if not for Dutch goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen. He had to make a couple of key saves. Achraf Hakimi and Nossair Mazraoui were leading the Moroccan attack from the flanks.
It took some time, but the Dutch started to grow into the game. Their best chance came from defender Micky Van De Ven. It was a long shot taken shortly before halftime, which Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou had to really stretch out to make that save.
It was clear the Netherlands were trying to get Cody Gakpo, Brian Brobbey and Crysencio Summerville to create some magic. All three were lethal in the group stage.
But the Dutch seemed like they didn’t know what to do with the ball. Morocco wanted to score on the transitions.
The breakthrough came for the Netherlands in the 72nd minute. Gakpo managed to pounce on the loose ball after Summerville was tackled. The Liverpool winger scored an emotional goal. Over the weekend, Gakpo announced he and his wife, Noa van der Bij, lost their son, Elijay, during pregnancy. Elijah was due to be born in October. After scoring the goal, Gakpo rightfully couldn’t hold back the tears. Even some of the Dutch fans were crying. What a moment.
Morocco did not want to go down without a fight. The Dutch were content with sitting back. Morocco was using their creativity and pace to try to break down the orange wall.
One minute into stoppage time, Fulham’s Issa Diop leaped like a Salmon with Virgil Van Dijk and Teun Koopmeiners surrounding him. With the perfectly timed header, Diop headed Chemsdine Talbi’s cross past Verbruggen. Moroccan fans had their prayers answered. That was also Diop’s first-ever goal for his country. What a time to do it.
For the second straight game, we were going to extra time. It was clear this was a tactical battle between Netherlands manager Ronald Koeman and Morocco manager Mohamed Ouahbi.
Substitute Soufiane Rahimi nearly scored a beautiful solo goal as he danced around the Dutch defenders. But Verbruggen was there to change the tune with another big save.
The late tying goal gave Morocco some life. They were now in control. However, they were too static and passive. As a result, the Netherlands were very compact with their defensive shape.
It was Moroccan fluidity vs Dutch “Total Football.” The game was an intense chess match, and it was bloody. But extra time solved nothing, and for the second straight game, it was off to a penalty shootout. Honestly, it is a shame this isn’t a quarterfinal matchup for this World Cup because it felt like it.
If you thought the Germany and Paraguay penalty shootout was wild, this one was even wilder.
After Koopmeiners converted his penalty for the Dutch, Morocco’s Neil El Aynaoui hit the crossbar.
The Netherlands had a chance to go up by two. Justin Kleivert had the task of doing that, but he hit the left post.
Morocco’s Soufiane Rahimi had the chance to put his country back in the lead. It looked like Verbruggen denied him, but the ball just squeaked past him.
Wout Weghorst scored for the Dutch, and then Talbi scored for the Moroccans. Quentin Timber’s (Jurrien’s twin brother. Quentin plays for Olympique Marseille, and Jurrien missed the World Cup due to an injury) penalty kick wasn’t even close.
The side of the left post seemed to be cursed. Hakimi then struck it.
Bounou then read Summerville’s penalty kick quite well. He didn’t have to move much.
Ismael Saibiri got the opportunity to be the hero. The striker on the verge of joining Bayern Munich sent Verbruggen the wrong way and set up Morocco for a Round of 16 game against Canada.
That game takes place on the Fourth of July in Houston.
What a crazy day of soccer.
Masterclass of the day
Gill was phenomenal in the penalty shootout against Germany.
Disasterclass of the day
Tah’s penalty was bad, but anyone who is calling him racial slurs over it is even worse.
Stat of the day
Talk about clutch.
Fan moment of the day
Win or lose, soccer really does unite the world. This is why we love the World Cup.
WTF of the day
Imagine telling this to someone before the World Cup began. They would’ve laughed in your face.
Meme of the day
Pretty much all Canadians watching were like this.
Wrap-up
The World Cup Round of 32 continue on Tuesday. Yan Diomande and Côte d’Ivoire go head to head with Erling Haaland and Norway at Dallas Stadium. Kickoff is at 10:00 am Pacific.
Then at 2:00 pm Pacific, Kylian Mbappe and heavily favoured France take on Viktor Gyökeres and Sweden. That game takes place at New York/New Jersey Stadium.
Finally, the day ends at the iconic Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. Julian Quinones and Mexico take on Moises Caicedo and Ecuador.
Will the World Cup games be as crazy as Monday? We shall see.
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