Everything you missed on a dramatic night of World Cup action and Tuesday's run of play
Germany's Kai Havertz has a penalty kick saved by Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill . Pic: Martin Rickett/PA Wire
Morocco beat the Netherlands 3-2 on penalties on Monday to reach the World Cup last 16 after their Round of 32 tie ended 1-1 following extra time, setting up a meeting with co-hosts Canada.
Ismael Saibari converted the winning spot kick after Yassine Bounou saved Crysencio Summerville's penalty, sending Morocco through after a dramatic contest in which they had forced extra time with a stoppage-time equaliser.
Morocco's Neil El Aynaoui and Dutch substitute Justin Kluivert missed their attempts before Bart Verbruggen appeared to save Soufiane Rahimi's effort, only for the ball to squirm underneath him and trickle over the line.
Quinten Timber then put the ball wide with the Dutch side's fourth kick, Achraf Hakimi struck the post with the chance to seal victory before Saibari kept his nerve to send Morocco through.
The shootout capped a gripping encounter in Monterrey that swung repeatedly in both teams' favour, with Cody Gakpo's emotional second-half opener cancelled out by Issa Diop's stoppage-time header before neither team could find a winner in extra time.
At the World Cup in 1998, Paraguay were clinging on for a 0-0 draw in a last-16 meeting with hosts France in the hope of some penalty shootout magic from goalkeeper Jose Luis Chilavert but a 114th-minute golden goal by Laurent Blanc dashed that strategy.
Twenty-eight years later, Paraguay pulled off what the Chilavert generation could not - the South American underdogs held Germany to a 1-1 draw after extra time and then eliminated the four-times world champions on penalties.
“This is a guy who rarely watches games.”
— Daniel Hussey (@DanielHussey2) June 30, 2026
Didi Hamann doesn’t hold back on Nagelsmann after Germany were knocked out. pic.twitter.com/Xtdc0q97jg
In one of the biggest upsets ever seen at the World Cup, Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill saved the efforts of Kai Havertz and Nick Woltemade before Jonathan Tah fired over the bar, paving the way for Jose Canale to blast home the decisive spot kick.
It was the first time Germany had lost a penalty shootout at the World Cup.
Substitute Gabriel Martinelli scored a stoppage-time winner as Brazil snatched a place in the last 16 of the World Cup with a 2-1 win over Japan in Houston.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side were stunned when Japan took the lead with a superb strike from Kaishu Sano after 29 minutes but replied when Casemiro atoned for a poor first-half performance with a fine header.
The game appeared to be heading towards extra time after a tense final period but Martinelli, sent on by Ancelotti on 66 minutes, capped the fightback after being played in by Bruno Guimaraes.
It was harsh on an obstinate Japan side, who were chasing their country’s first World Cup knockout win, but Brazil finished strongly after a lethargic first-half display.
Yan Diomande was already a man in demand before the 2026 World Cup. Yet his performances in North America have suggested that he is more than a flash in the pan. Some may have scoffed at RB Leipzig’s rumoured €100m asking price in the January transfer window. The World Cup showings suggest the German side were right to slap a nine-figure asking price on his head.
The diamond in the rough - or should that be, Diomande in the rough - has done well to manage 10 successful take ons, create 10 chances and make 10 tackles in his debut World Cup. Unsurprisingly, European champions Paris Saint-Germain have shown an interest in the 19-year-old. They’re now ahead of Liverpool in the pecking order for the teenage wing wizard. All eyes will be on Diomande against Norway in Dallas on Tuesday. Ivory Coast will hope he can thrive under the pressure once more.
Didier Deschamps was absent from the France dugout for Les Bleus’ final group stage game. Rather, long-term assistant Guy Stephan took charge as France made light work of Norway. Ousmane Dembele bagged a first-half hat-trick while Desire Doue added a late fourth in a comfortable 4-1 win over a much-changed Norway to top their group and set up a round-of-32 clash with Sweden.
Deschamps jetted back to France to attend a funeral following the unfortunate passing of his mother. The 57-year-old will return to the dugout in New York New Jersey on Tuesday, and gave a passionate speech to inspire his troops for the Sweden clash.
"The first competition is finished. But there is a second. For those of you who have already played in a World Cup, that's where everything changes," Deschamps said in a video released by the official France Instagram account over the weekend. "It's the same competition but it's another competition. Every game can be your last after every match."
If that’s not enough to inspire the European powerhouse, then we don’t know what is.
As Ecuador gear up for their first World Cup knockout match in 20 years, there’s been a changing of the guard. Over the weekend, Enner Valencia formally announced that Chelsea midfielder Moises Caicedo would take over as La Tri captain. The Blues star assumed the armband following Valencia’s second-half withdrawal in the 2-1 win over Germany last week.
Now, the decision is permanent. And Caicedo has a tough task if he is to help guide Ecuador to the last-16. Indeed, the South American powerhouse take on co-hosts Mexico at the Azteca in the early hours of Wednesday morning. It’s a baptism of fire, and then some.
The 24-year-old revealed to the official Chelsea website that Valencia’s 2014 World Cup showings inspired the newly-appointed Ecuador captain. Caicedo’s now hoping to pass on his knowledge to the next generation of Ecuadorian players.
"I remember that moment because it’s so special for me - now I want to motivate the other young players to keep doing the right things to achieve where I am," Caicedo said.
"Now I’m playing alongside Enner Valencia in the national team after I watched him play in that World Cup, for me, he’s an idol, I’m learning a lot from him. To be honest, I am so excited to be playing my second World Cup alongside him."
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