* Gabriel Martinelli came off the bench to send Brazil into the Round of 16 with a 96th-minute winner
Maravi Express
Monday night was an all-time of FIFA World Cup™ upsets that saw Paraguay shock four-time world champions Germany while Morocco ousted Netherlands — both in penalty shootouts.
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But for Brazil, it took Gabriel Martinelli’s 95th-minute strike for the four-time winners to dramatically come from behind to win 2-1 and advance to the Round of 16 — cruelly denying Japan a first-ever knockout stage victory in the competition.
Germany’s defeat is arguably the competition’s greatest and surely the biggest at the knockout stage that had the Germans trailing 0-1 at half-time to Julio Enciso’s 42nd-minute header from Matias Galarza’s cross on Monday.
It was a limp display by the four-time winners in the first period, but they drew level in the second half, when Kai Havertz scored eight minutes after the restart with a glancing header from Florian Wirtz’s ball in from the flank.
Germany then had a Jonathan Tah goal from a corner ruled out after a VAR review for a foul on Paraguay’s keeper, and with no further goal, the game went to spot kicks after extra time.
Havertz, who helped Arsenal end a 22-year wait to win the English Premier League title this season, missed the opening kick of the shootout. The forward’s side would miss three kicks in total, as Paraguay, who themselves missed two kicks, eventually prevailed 4-3.
Nick Woltemade and Tah were the other two German players to suffer the pain of penalty misses, while Paraguay’s Jose Canale scored the decisive spot kick.
Paraguay’s defender Jose Canale scores a penalty kick past Germany’s goalkeeper Manuel Neuer to win the penalty shootout
Germany were ranked number 10 in the world by the game’s governing body, FIFA, entering the tournament, while Paraguay were ranked 41st.
The previous match the defeat surpasses was another German loss at the FIFA World Cup US 1994, when a Hristo Stoichkov-inspired Bulgaria knocked out the defending champions in the quarterfinals.
Stoichkov, then a Barcelona player, was named the Ballon d’Or winner for 1994, while Bulgaria were ranked 29th in the world at the time.
It was the Germans’ first defeat on penalties at a World Cup, and they have now failed to reach the last 16 since they last won the competition in 2014.
Paraguay will face either France or Sweden in the last 16 in Philadelphia on July 4 while Brazil will play Norway or Côte d’Ivoire in the last 16 on Sunday.
Gabriel Martinelli came off the bench to send Brazil into the last 16 with a 96th-minute winner
Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti’s side were staring down the barrel of a disastrous early exit when Kaishu Sano scored from the edge of the box in the first half — after he had breezed past Casemiro too easily.
But Casemiro made up for that slack defending by equalising after the break. Minutes after failing to convert a sitter, he headed home Gabriel’s cross at the far post to the relief of the sizeable Brazil support in Houston.
Vinicius Jr almost turned the game on its head as his solo run and finish was palmed onto the post by Japan goalkeeper Zion Suzuki.
But Suzuki cruelly could not do enough with Martinelli’s stoppage-time poke — only able to palm the effort onto the inside of the post before the ball rolled in.
Japan have led in each of their last three World Cup knockout games — and lost them all.
Morocco won 3-2 on penalties after the match finished 1-1 following extra time, with Yassine Bounou again proving decisive on the biggest stage.
Cody Gakpo had given the Netherlands the lead in the 72nd minute, but Morocco refused to accept defeat and forced extra time through Issa Diop’s stoppage-time header.
After a tense additional 30 minutes failed to produce another goal, Soufiane Rahimi, Chemseddine Talbi and Ismail Saibari scored in the shootout to send Morocco through.
Neil El Aynaoui and Achraf Hakimi missed for Morocco, but the Dutch failed to take advantage as Justin Kluivert, Jurrien Timber and Crysencio Summerville were unable to convert.
Bounou saved the decisive Dutch penalty from Summerville before Saibari stepped forward to score the kick that carried Morocco into the next round.
Morocco will now face Canada in the Round of 16 after the co-hosts beat South Africa 1-0 on Sunday. For Morocco, this was another major World Cup night and another reminder that the Atlas Lions remain one of Africa’s strongest forces on the global stage.—Reporting by BBC Sport & CAFonline; editing by Maravi Express
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