World Cup 2026: Round of 32 - Day 2

Today started the three games per day part of the Round of 32. There were some unbelievable matchups to look forward to. And spoiler: they lived up to the hype. This blog is going to be a doozy, so let's just get right into it:

Brazil 2-1 Japan

What a way to start the day's action. I expected a really close game in this one and that's exactly what we got. Brazil started out the better team and really dominated the first 10 or so minutes. Japan didn't come into the game wanting to just sit back and defend but Brazil forced them to early. Eventually, Japan would get into the game more and hold onto the ball a bit. The possession didn't lead to any chances but at the very least it helped relieve some pressure. It was a defensive play that would end up leading to Japan going ahead 1-0. Just before the half hour mark, Kaishu Sano intercepted a pass from Danilo on the halfway line and carried it forward right past Casemiro and to the edge of the Brazil box. No one stepped forward to close him down and he fired a shot low into the corner past a diving Allison. Japan would take that lead into halftime.

Brazil came out on fire to start the second half. I think a lot of it had to do with an attacking change Carlo Ancelotti made, bringing on forward Endrick for midfielder Paqueta. Endrick himself didn't do much that jumped out but having an extra forward allowed Brazil increase the pressure on Japan's back line. It was relentless. Japan relied on some great goalkeeping from Zion Suzuki and a ball cleared off the line to try to hang on. They weren't able to do so though and Brazil ended up getting their equalizer in the 56th minute from a Casemiro header at the back post. As the half went on the only question in my mind was are Japan going to be able to hang on and get this to extra time. They almost did it. Deep into stoppage time, Ao Tanaka won the ball back on the edge of his own box but took too many touches and gave it away. Brazil were able to get it to Gabriel Martinelli who slid his shot just past Suzuki, off the post and in. Incredible for Brazil but just absolutely heartbreaking for Japan.

Well, this is a game I ended up getting spot on in the predictions. Beginner's luck I'm sure. It'll likely be the only game of the 16 we have here in the Round of 32 that I'll get right. To sum up my thoughts on this one, I mostly just feel bad for Japan. I think there are several other teams they could have beaten this round in order to get their first knockout win and drawing Brazil was unfortunate. They were also without their best holding midfielder Wataru Endo and their star attacker Kaoru Mitoma. Both were injured and unable to be in the squad for this World Cup. Add in that they lost Takefusa Kubo to injury after their opener against the Netherlands and it was just a lot to overcome. And for Brazil, I think they showed they can really put pressure on teams going forward but I do still worry about their midfield and fullbacks. In my opinion they're a step below the elite teams in this competition.

Paraguay 1-1 Germany (4-3 pks)

The day's second game gave us some more incredible drama. It started out how I expected though. Germany were on top in the first half and ended the first 45 with 79% possession. What was not expected was that Paraguay would take a 1-0 lead into halftime. Just before the end of the half and following a corner that was cleared, Paraguay kept the ball in the attacking third and Matias Galarza put a cross in that was met by Julio Enciso, who was making a late run. He headed it past Manuel Neuer and Paraguay had an unlikely lead.

Germany kept testing the Paraguay back line in the second half and it wasn't too long before they got an equalizer. In the 54th minute, Florian Wirtz sent in a wonderful cross that Kai Havertz met with the back of his head and flicked on past Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill. Just like Japan in the previous game, the only question from this point on was whether or not Paraguay would be able to hang on and get the game to extra time. To their credit, they were able to do so.

The first half of extra time carried on just like the rest of the game. Germany ended it with 90% possession. And right before the end of the first 15, they thought they had a winner. Jonathan Tah headed the ball past Gill and the Germans celebrated what seemed like the winning goal. VAR intervened and judged that Waldemar Anton impeded the goalkeeper and it was overturned. After watching the replay several times, I have to say it looked harsh. But my view may be tainted by the fact that I've seen a team win a big league across the pond by doing the same thing on every corner and not getting called for it. Different considerations in the World Cup I suppose.

The game would eventually go to penalties and the drama just increased there. Germany went first and Kai Havertz missed. Nick Woltemade missed Germany's fourth as well to give Paraguay three straight chances to win. But they missed their fourth, Germany scored their fifth, and Paraguay missed their fifth to miraculously make it 3-3 after 5 rounds. Then Tah stepped up and skied his penalty way over the bar. Jose Canale scored his and Paraguay had pulled off the big upset.

So this was one I got very wrong. The style of play was what I expected but that was obvious. I thought Germany would get an early goal to unsettle Paraguay and then use the increased space to get a couple more. Clearly that's not how it went. As for my parting thoughts on Germany, while I thought they'd win this game I wasn't confident in them going much further. I just thought from what I saw in the group stage that they weren't really impressive. This wasn't your father's Germany. And for Paraguay, man are they hard to play against. I mean, unless you're the USA. But seriously, they defended so well and made everything incredibly difficult for Germany. They'll likely need to pull off an even bigger upset in the Round of 16.

Morocco 1-1 Netherlands (3-2 pks)

That very well may have been the game of the tournament so far. I'm going to go through the moments and how everything went down, but I need to start with a lineup decision made by Ronald Koeman and the Dutch. They chose to switch from a back four to a back five (or three). In previous games, they had Dumfries at RB, Van Hecke and Van Dijk at CB, and either Van de ven or Ake at LB. In this game, they started all five of those players and took Tijjani Reijnders out of the midfield. This approach, while good defensively, meant they were outnumbered in the middle. Because of this, Morocco were able to control the game.

Possession in the first half ended up being even but Morocco had the better chances. In the second half, they had 79% possession and created even more chances. They weren't able to convert though and finally, the Dutch made a change that paid off. In the 71st minute, midfielder Teun Koopmeiners came on for defender Nathan Ake and striker Wout Weghorst game on for Brian Brobbey in a like-for-like change. Dutch goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen immediately sent a goal kick long to Weghorst who nodded it down from inside the center circle. Crysencio Summerville picked it up and burst forward to the penalty area where he went down but was able to nudge the ball over to Cody Gakpo to finish and give the Dutch the 1-0 lead. They seemed content to try to hold on to the 1-0 lead and Koopmeiners was often found in the back line, keeping the back five intact. Morocco kept pushing and just into stoppage time, they pulled level. Chemsdine Talbi played a perfect cross that Issa Diop got on the end of and buried past Verbruggen. Unbelievable drama. The game was now headed to extra time.

In extra time, it was more of the same. Morocco had all of the ball and they nearly scored in the 98th minute. Ismael Saibari played the ball to Soufiane Rahimi just inside the box. Rahimi took a touch around Koopmeiners and shot from close range but Verbruggen denied him with one of the saves of the tournament. The rest of extra time would go on without any big chances and the game would go to penalties.

Penalties are always full of drama. But sometimes, they can be more dramatic than usual. With the Netherlands up 1-0 in the shootout in the second round, Rahimi stepped up for Morocco to try to bring it to 1-1. His shot was initially saved by Verbruggen but it cruelly ended up deflecting off the back of his back leg and into the net. Both sides would convert in the third round and miss in the fourth round to bring it to the fifth tied at 2-2. Summerville missed for the Netherlands and Saibari converted his to give Morocco the win and eliminate the Dutch.

For the Netherlands, the biggest takeaway from this game has to be how Koeman chose to approach it. He went away from the classic Dutch 4-3-3 in favor of being more defensive. The center backs played an unbelievable game, often making last-ditch tackles. But I don't think it was worth giving up the midfield. The Dutch are at their best when they're free going forward. It was a strange decision to forgo that here. For Morocco, what a win. This team is incredible. I doubted them and had this as a 3-1 Netherlands win. I won't make that mistake again. While they have a ton of talent, the team still plays better than the sum of its parts. They look like a side that can go win it all.

Tomorrow's Predictions

• Norway 2-1 Ivory Coast
  • I think this should be another really close game. Haaland and Diomande will provide some star power for their sides and it should be an exciting one. I can see it going to extra time with Haaland getting a winner
• France 4-1 Sweden
  • France are really good. They're my favorite to win the whole thing. I think their attack is going to overwhelm the Swedes, who will at least get a consolation goal
• Ecuador 1-0 Mexico
  • Ecuador will have no fear going to the Azteca. They are also used to playing at elevation. Mexico will find it hard to break through a stout Ecuadorian defense and Enner Valencia will turn back the clock to get the winner

So, no stray thoughts today. This blog is already too damn long. I'm sitting here in bed finishing this up, unable to believe what we just saw today. At the moment, it feels like this was the greatest single day in World Cup history. I'm certain that with some more thought, that take will seem ridiculous. But it's just how it all feels right now. I cannot wait to see what this tournament has in store for us tomorrow and beyond that. Until next time.