FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Paraguay stuns Germany on penalties to produce the tournament’s defining upset, eliminating the four-time World Cup champions in a shootout that rewrote German football history and left the knockout bracket wide open. Morocco compounded Europe’s worst day of the tournament by eliminating the Netherlands on penalties in Monterrey, while Brazil survived a stoppage-time scare to beat Japan 2-1, as June 29 became the most consequential single day of the knockout stage so far.
Two of Europe’s most decorated programs exited having controlled significant portions of their respective matches, undone not by superior opposition talent but by defensive organization, composure under pressure, and clinical finishing when it mattered most. The results confirmed what the expanded 48-team format has been signaling since the group stage: disciplined sides with defensive structure and belief can eliminate teams with far greater historical pedigree.
How Paraguay Stuns Germany Changed the Tournament
Paraguay defeated Germany 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Julio Enciso gave Paraguay the lead with his country’s first-ever goal in a men’s World Cup knockout match, finishing with conviction after a move that exposed a rare lapse in Germany’s defensive shape. Kai Havertz equalized for Germany, and Julian Nagelsmann’s side controlled possession for long stretches, but control without penetration left Paraguay’s defensive block largely undisturbed.
Germany believed it had found a winner in extra time when Jonathan Tah headed home from a corner, only for the goal to be ruled out after a video review. The decision proved pivotal. The shootout that followed produced a result without precedent in World Cup history: Germany’s men’s national team lost on spot kicks at the tournament for the first time. Havertz, Nick Woltemade, and Tah all failed to convert before José Canale scored the decisive penalty, ending Germany’s campaign and sending Paraguay’s players into celebrations that spilled across the pitch and into the stands.
The defeat will deepen scrutiny of a national program still working to rebuild its identity after group-stage exits in 2018 and 2022. Germany entered the knockout round as Group E winners and dominated the match on the ball, but territorial control without the ability to break down a disciplined low block proved insufficient when the pressure was highest. Paraguay advances to face the winner of France and Sweden in the Round of 16, carrying with them one of the country’s greatest World Cup moments.
Morocco Punishes Dutch Collapse in Stoppage Time
Morocco advanced with a 3-2 shootout win over the Netherlands after a 1-1 draw in Monterrey, booking a Round of 16 meeting with Canada. Dutch goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen kept the match scoreless through the first half with a series of important saves against a Moroccan side that created the better early chances and pressed with consistent intent from the opening whistle.
The Netherlands broke through in the 72nd minute when Cody Gakpo swept home from close range, a goal that carried significant emotional weight. It arrived days after Gakpo and his partner had suffered the loss of their unborn son, and the forward was visibly overcome as teammates gathered around him on the pitch in one of the tournament’s most human moments.
Morocco refused to accept the result. Deep into stoppage time, Issa Diop rose to meet a cross from Chemsdine Talbi and powered a header into the net, forcing extra time and visibly stunning the Dutch bench. Neither side found a breakthrough over the additional 30 minutes. In the shootout, goalkeeper Yassine Bounou denied Crysencio Summerville before Ismael Saibari converted the winning penalty to send Morocco through. The victory continued Morocco’s emergence as one of the sport’s most reliable knockout performers, a team capable of absorbing late pressure, maintaining its structure, and delivering when the margin for error disappears. In Monterrey, local supporters joined Moroccan fans in celebrations that continued long after the final whistle.
Brazil Survives Japan’s Late Pressure
Brazil avoided becoming the day’s third major casualty when Gabriel Martinelli scored in the 95th minute to beat Japan 2-1, though the match offered a warning the five-time champions cannot ignore. Japan took the lead in the 29th minute through Kaishu Sano, who punished a Brazilian defensive error and finished cleanly to give Hajime Moriyasu’s side a platform to defend with discipline.
Brazil equalized in the 56th minute when Casemiro headed home from a Gabriel Magalhães cross, and Carlo Ancelotti’s side increased the pressure through the second half as Vinícius Júnior repeatedly threatened. Japan goalkeeper Zion Suzuki produced several important saves to keep the match level deep into stoppage time. Martinelli’s winner, set up by Bruno Guimarães inside the penalty area, arrived in the 95th minute just as extra time appeared unavoidable. Details were first reported by Reuters, which noted the goal was the latest scored in normal time of a World Cup knockout match since 1966.
Moriyasu said afterward that Japan’s performance reflected genuine progress against the sport’s traditional powers, even as the result denied his team its first men’s World Cup knockout-stage victory. Brazil advances to face the winner of Norway and Côte d’Ivoire, with questions about defensive reliability likely to follow them into the next round.
Round of 32 play resumes June 30 in New York time with France facing Sweden, England meeting DR Congo, and the United States taking on Bosnia and Herzegovina, fixtures that will determine whether the bracket’s upheaval continues or its remaining favourites restore order.
