From The Sports Desk: Japan, Germany and Netherlands eliminated in roller-coaster day

Brazil came from behind to beat Japan 2-1 with a winner in the sixth minute of injury time while two European powerhouses crashed out in penalty shootouts in a roller-coaster day of elimination action.

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World Cup Recap

Japan still hasn’t won a knockout match at any World Cup. Its woes continued yesterday in Houston against Brazil, a five-time champion looking for its first title since 2002. Kaishu Sano gave the Samurai Blue the lead in the 29th minute with his first international goal, swooping past a lumbering Casemiro before firing low to goalkeeper Alisson’s right from the edge of the box.At halftime and a goal up, Japan was on course for the biggest result in its history.

But Casemiro got his revenge when he headed in at the far post in the second half as Japan defended deeply and soaked up wave after wave of attacks. At 34 years and 126 days, Casemiro became Brazil’s second-oldest scorer at World Cups, after Bebeto .

Coach Carlo Ancelotti brought on winger Gabriel Martinelli , not Neymar , and it was the Arsenal man who scored the winner after Japan conceded possession on the edge of its own penalty box.

Brazil will face the winner of today’s clash between Ivory Coast and Norway.

Elsewhere, two European heavyweights were knocked out. First, Paraguay upset Germany 4-3 on penalties to earn the biggest upset of the World Cup so far. It was the first time that Germany had lost a penalty shootout in the World Cup, having won its previous four (against France in 1982, Mexico in 1986, England in 1990 and Argentina in 2006). The match ended 1-1 after extra time, with Paraguay going in front when Julio Enciso scored a header late in the first half. Kai Havertz equalized in the 52nd minute for four-time champion Germany.

Paraguayan President Santiago Peña declared today a national holiday to mark the win.

Paraguay faces the winner of today’s match between France and Sweden in the round of 16 in Philadelphia. Nine out of 10 African nations at the World Cup made it out of their group and into the round of 32, including Morocco, which beat three-time finalist the Netherlands on penalties after another 1-1 draw after extra time.

Cody Gakpo opened the scoring in the 72nd minute for the Netherlands. In a poignant moment, the Liverpool attacker was embraced by teammates after his goal, before he broke down in tears. Gakpo and his partner had recently announced that they lost their unborn child. Issa Diop equalized in stoppage time.

A chaotic penalty shootout saw several misses before Morocco’s Ismael Saibari scored the decisive goal.

Morocco faces Canada in the round of 16 in Houston on Saturday.

Preview

Elimination games continue today with three matchups: France-Sweden, Ivory Coast-Norway and Mexico-Ecuador.

Only three teams won all three group stage games of this World Cup: France, Argentina and Mexico. Les Blues have arguably been the standout team of the tournament so far, scoring 10 times and conceding two. Sweden leaked five goals against the Netherlands in the group stage and seven in total. France’s Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé , who each already have four goals in the tournament, will be licking their lips.

The presence of another Golden Boot contender, the unerring Erling Haaland , means Norway is favored to progress against the Ivory Coast, although this is its first knockout match in 28 years.

Co-host Mexico will have a boisterous home support behind it at Mexico City Stadium (Estadio Azteca), where it has an enviable record. Ecuador will be buoyed by its 2-1 win over Germany in its final group game.

Men In Blazers

It was a hectic, yet brilliant day of World Cup football. Gabriel Martinelli ’s stoppage-time effort helped Brazil see off Japan 2-1, but it was the final two matches that had fans remembering why it’s worth waiting four years for this competition. Germany had never lost a World Cup shootout in four previous attempts —that was until they ran into Paraguayan goalkeeper Orlando Gill , the man with the wingspan of a pterodactyl. La Albirroja stunned the 2014 champions 4-3 in a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw , and Gill was the star of the moment, swatting away Kai Havertz and Nick Woltemade ’s attempts like he was Dikembe Mutombo saying, “not in my house.” More heroics followed as the Netherlands battled with Morocco, who played to a 1-1 draw and the second shootout of the day. After 120 minutes of football in the Mexican heat, both sides looked absolutely crushed, with four attempts either hitting the post or going wide. Enter: the Dutch Eredivisie Player of the Year, Ismael Saibari , who knocked home the winner to send Morocco into the Round of 16.

Today, Erling Haaland and Norway clash with an Ivory Coast side spearheaded by the dazzling Yan Diomande at 1 p.m. ET in Dallas. Then, Les Bleus of France take the stage against Sweden at 5 p.m. ET at the New York New Jersey Stadium as Kylian Mbappé and the tournament favorites look to end Graham Potter’s cowboy-hat-filled tour on the touchline. The main event comes at 9 p.m. ET in Mexico City, when El Tri hosts Ecuador at the incredible Estadio Azteca, North America’s finest footballing venue.

For more World Cup coverage sent straight to your inbox every morning, subscribe to the Men in Blazers newsletter . We’ll be covering every match, every goal, and every joyous moment that soccer’s biggest spectacle is sure to bring.

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That’s all for now. We’ll be back tomorrow.