Brazil wins in the dying moments of regular time while Paraguay and Morocco advance on penalties. It’s first three-match day in the Round of 32, and we already have our first major shock as Paraguay defeats Germany on penalties to move on to the Round of 16.
Brazil 2-1 Japan
Brazil completes the comeback to advance to the Round of 16.
Brazil controlled the game, but Japan scored first. In the 29th minute, Kaishū Sano dribbled unmarked about 20 yards down the middle of the field before shooting from just outside of the box with the ball ending up in the bottom left corner of the goal.
Although Brazil had more possession, they were lacking creativity in the first half. It wasn’t until halftime when Endrick was substituted on that they were able to pick up steam.
Their equalizer came in the 56th minute off a great header by Casemiro from inside the six-yard box. Their winner, thanks to Bruno Guimarães and Gabriel Martinelli, came in the 90+6th minute. Guimarães, after not being able to get a shot off, spotted an open Martinelli inside the box. His pass allowed Martinelli to quickly turn and shoot. Japanese goalkeeper Zion Suzuki was able to get a hand to it, but it was not enough, as it went past him, off the right goalpost, and in.
Brazil advances to the Round of 16 where they will play the winners of the matchup between Côte d’Ivoire and Norway.
Paraguay 1 (4) – (3) 1 Germany
Paraguay shocks Germany to advance to the Round of 16.
Paraguay was playing their hearts out while Germany remained unfazed at every stage of the game, even when they were behind.
Paraguay scored first off a wide open header from Julio Enciso just before halftime. The German defense opened up just as he started to enter the box, and by the time he headed the ball, there were four German defenders around but all focused on someone else. This allowed him an open header which went down off the ground, past a confused Neuer and into the goal.
Germany equalized at the 54th minute thanks to Kai Havertz, but this did not have its usual effect of the team. Germany is a team where scoring only adds to their intensity. The more they score, the hungrier they are to score again.
This time, however, they remained calm and played as if the winning goal would come to them which meant they did not have to do anything to earn it. Paraguay, on the other hand, fell into a more defensive shape as they knew they would have a better shot at winning on penalties.
Ending the game with 25% possession, Paraguay was able to pull it off and won 4-3 on penalties.
Paraguay advances to the Round of 16 where they will face the winners of the matchup between France and Sweden.
Morocco 1 (3) – (2) 1 Netherlands
The Netherlands changed their personality and played more defensively against Morocco which proved to be unsuccessful.
The Dutch side had scored most of their previous goals off of tap-ins. Morocco has a strong defense and I think the Netherlands underestimated this.
Morocco controlled the game with 70% possession. This surprised the Dutch and towards the second half they shifted to a more defensive game. Cody Gakpo would give them the lead at the 72nd minute, but Moroccan defender Issa Diop would tie things up in the 90+1st minute to send the game into extra time and eventually penalties.
Before the shootout, former Swedish player and current studio analyst Zlatan Ibrahimović said that the Dutch are known more for their offense and that switching to a defensive play was more of an Italian style of play and against their personality.
Morocco, after a combined five misses between the two sides, would win 3-2 to advance.
Morocco advances to the Round of 16 where they will face Canada on July 4 at 1 p.m. ET.
As always, stay tuned to Futbolhijo.com for in-depth coverage of the biggest World Cup yet. Check back for my next article, where I will be covering matches and news that occur throughout the tournament. You can also read my previous article where I gave my thoughts on each of the Round of 32 matchups.
Cover Photo: Brazil, Paraguay and Morocco advance. NOTE: Image generated using the prompt “generate me and image that matches the following 2026 world cup article title: Brazil, Paraguay, and Morocco advance to the Round of 16,” by OpenAI, ChatGPT, 2026 (https://chatgpt.com/).
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