Brazil and Morocco tie with two great goals in their World Cup debut

Brazil comes back and advances to the round of 16

The Brazilian team beat Japan 2-1 in the round of 32 of the World Cup. The match, played at Houston Stadium, had a dramatic outcome.

Japan struck first. At minute 29, Kaushi Sano opened the scoring and put the green and yellow team on the ropes. Brazil reacted until the second half: Casemiro equalized with a header in the 56th minute.

When everything seemed to be heading towards extension, Gabriel Martinelli appeared. In stoppage time, at 90+6′, the forward secured a place in the round of 16 with a goal that unleashed euphoria in the stands.

Keys to success

Brazil maintained its offensive style despite the goal against. The Japanese defense resisted for much of the match, but could not contain the final pressure. The South American team thus adds another victory on its way to the title.

Germany and Paraguay play for a place in the quarterfinals

The German team faces Paraguay today at the Gillette Stadium in Boston, with a ticket to the quarterfinals at stake. The winner will face the winner of the duel between France and Sweden.

The path of Germany

Germany arrived as the leader of Group E with 6 points, after beating Curacao 7-1 and beating Ivory Coast 2-1. They lost 2-1 to Ecuador on the last date, but that result did not prevent their advancement. The loss snapped a streak of 11 consecutive wins. Coach Julian Nagelsmann will keep veteran Manuel Neuer (40 years old) in goal, despite the doubts that arose after the match against Ecuador. Joshua Kimmich, Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala will also continue as starters.

The Paraguayan surprise

Paraguay, led by Argentine Gustavo Alfaro, qualified as one of the best third parties after finishing third in Group D behind the United States and Australia. They lost 4-0 to the USA, beat Turkey 1-0 and drew goalless with Australia. It is the fifth time they have surpassed the group stage at a World Cup, but they only reached the quarterfinals in South Africa 2010.

Single antecedent

The only previous meeting between the two teams in a World Cup was in the round of 16 of Korea-Japan 2002, when Germany won 1-0. Now, Paraguay seeks revenge.

The challenge of direct elimination

The Mexican National Team ran out of time to celebrate. The group stage was left behind with three wins, but now come the final series. Ecuador will be the first rival in a duel that does not forgive mistakes.

Armando González, Tri forward, was clear when speaking from the High Performance Center. “We continue with the same mentality, the same commitment. Since we arrived we knew that we had to do important things and the first objective was already achieved, which was to qualify first, now comes the important thing that is to kill or die,” he declared.

The Chivas player also highlighted that the team learned and corrected during the first phase. “Everything we did in the group was left behind, we learned what we had to learn, we corrected what we had to correct and now comes the important thing,” he added.

No confidence against Ecuador

González warned that they do not underestimate the rival, led by Sebastián Beccacece. “We know that Ecuador is an important rival, it’s not for nothing that they are in the World Cup and they made it through such a difficult group, so we have to do what we know how to do and go out and win,” he said.

The match will be played at the Azteca Stadium. For the attacker, the motivation to play in a World Cup qualifier in that setting “is something indescribable.” If Mexico advances, the round of 16 would also be in the same building.

Those led by Javier Aguirre have home team, emotional momentum and support from the fans. But the margin of error is zero. “There are no second chances anymore, we have to give everything,” González concluded.