Brazil avoided a shocking defeat against Japan only thanks to a last-minute goal, while two strong European teams—Germany and the Netherlands—were eliminated after a penalty shootout.
Brazil snatched a last-minute victory over Japan
The five-time world champions found themselves on the brink of an unexpected elimination in the first round of the playoffs. In their match against Japan, Carlo Ancelotti’s team conceded first and went into halftime trailing.
The Japanese opened the scoring in the 29th minute: Kaishu Sano capitalized on a Brazilian mistake and put the ball in the net.
However, after the break, Brazil stepped up the pressure and tied the score—in the 56th minute, Casemiro scored with a header off a cross.
Just when it seemed that extra time (for the first time in this tournament) was inevitable, the game was decided. In stoppage time, substitute Gabriel Martinelli scored in the 95th minute to give Brazil a 2–1 victory.
Japan exits the tournament despite playing one of the strongest matches in its World Cup history. Brazil advances to the knockout stage, but questions remain about its performance.
Germany Lost a World Cup Penalty Shootout for the First Time
One of the biggest upsets of the day was Germany’s elimination. The four-time world champions were unable to get past Paraguay, losing in a penalty shootout after a draw in regulation and extra time.
Although Germany constantly attacked and controlled possession, Paraguay unexpectedly took the lead in the 42nd minute: Julio Enciso scored with a header off a cross from Matías Galarsa.
In the second half, Germany stepped up their game and equalized fairly quickly—Kai Havertz tied the score in the 54th minute.
However, the score remained unchanged until the end of the match, even though the Germans continued to attack almost nonstop.
As a result, extra time was called for the first time in the tournament—just a couple of hours after the end of the Brazil-Japan match.
But two more 15-minute extra-time periods did not change the score, even though Germany scored a beautiful goal off a corner kick. The Germans’ wild celebration gave way to disappointment a few minutes later—after reviewing the VAR, the referees disallowed the goal due to a foul on the Paraguayan goalkeeper during the corner kick. Although the Germans strongly disagreed with this decision and actively voiced their outrage.
After 120 minutes of play, the score remained 1–1, and in the penalty shootout, luck was on the South American team’s side. Paraguay won 4–3, pulling off one of the biggest upsets of the tournament.
For Germany, this is not just a loss, but a sign of a serious crisis in German soccer. After winning the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, one of the strongest national teams in Europe (and the world) failed to advance to the knockout stage in two consecutive World Cups—in Russia in 2018 and in Qatar in 2022— —failed to advance to the knockout stage. This time, they managed to do so, but given that 48 teams are participating in the tournament for the first time, Germany once again found itself outside the top 16.
Furthermore, this marked a historic defeat for the German national team—it was the first time the team had lost a penalty shootout at the World Cup.
The Netherlands and Morocco played out yet another dramatic match
Another European favorite ended its tournament run in a penalty shootout. The Netherlands couldn’t hold on to their lead against Morocco and lost after a dramatic finish.
The Dutch took the lead in the 72nd minute thanks to a goal by Cody Gakpo. It seemed that this goal would be enough to advance, but Morocco salvaged the game at the very end. Issa Diop equalized in the 91st minute, sending the match into extra time.
After 120 minutes, the teams remained tied, and Morocco prevailed in the penalty shootout, 3–2.
European favorites face a new balance of power
The day’s results showed that being the favorite no longer guarantees success at the World Cup. Germany and the Netherlands—teams with a rich history and regular appearances in the tournament’s knockout stages—were eliminated after nerve-wracking penalty shootouts.
At the same time, Brazil avoided an early exit thanks to experience and individual skill in the closing minutes, while teams from South America, Asia, and Africa received further evidence that the gap between traditional soccer powerhouses and new competitors is narrowing.
