After a matchday 18 in which we saw only one match (where Canada beat South Africa 1-0), Matchday 19 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup saw three different round of 32 knockout ties take place.
Brazil beat Japan 2-1; they will now face the winner of Ivory Coast vs Norway in the round of 16.
Germany lost to Paraguay 3-4 in a penalty shootout; they will face the winner of France vs Sweden in the round of 16
Netherlands vs Morocco - the blockbuster match is ongoing.
Here's how the games played out:
Netherlands vs Morocco: FOLLOW LIVE HERE
Germany 1 (3) - (4) 1 Paraguay (penalties)
(Havertz 54'; Enciso 42')
Orlando Gill was the hero of the day as Paraguay's goalkeeper saved two penalties and saw another get skied as the unfancied South Americans beat Germany in a thrilling penalty shootout. Kai Havertz and Nick Woltemade had their penalties saved by Gill, but Antonio Sanabria's miss and Manuel Neuer's save off Fabián Balbuena pushed the shootout into sudden death. Jonathan Tah stepped up and skied his, before José Canale made no mistake with his attempt to give Paraguay a 4-3 win in the shootout.
Earlier the match was tied at 1-1 after extra time. Having started the game aggressively, winning a corner inside thirty seconds, Paraguay had been sitting deep in their own half for almost all the first half when an enterprising Julio Enciso run won them a corner late. After the initial delivery was cleared, Matías Galarza swung in a delicious cross that found a completely unmarked Enciso in the box, and the forward made no mistake with his header.
A furious Julian Nagelsmann and his Germany team were out on the pitch very early for the second half, and their pace quickened up noticeably. It had an early effect, when Kai Havertz brilliantly headed on Florian Wirtz's cross. Germany kept pressing for the winner and were sure they had got late in extra time when Tah headed home a header at the far corner, but a VAR review advised the ref to go to the pitch side monitor and the goal was ruled out for Anton Stach blocking Gill's path to the ball.
Brazil 2 - 1 Japan
(Casemiro 56', Martinelli 90+5'; Sano 29')
A late Gabriel Martinelli goal sealed a thrilling win for five-time world champions Brazil against Japan.
Japan took the lead in the first half: after a loose pass was intercepted by midfielder Kaishu Sano, he sprinted straight down the middle, leaving Casemiro in the dust before taking an off-balance shot that Alisson Becker had no chance with, in the Brazil goal.
Brazil, who had been sloppy in the first half, sharpened up in the second with the introduction of Endrick in place of the injured Matheus Cunha. With Japan sitting deep and inviting Brazil on, this change meant they had much more attacking options inside the box. It paid dividends 11 minutes in when Gabriel Maghalaes clipped a superb cross into the far post, where Casemiro rose highest to head home unerringly.
Brazil kept amping up the pressure - a Vinícius Júnior run where he nutmegged two Japanese markers and hit a shot at goal that Zion Suzuki did superbly to tip onto the post the biggest highlight - and that pressure told eventually when in a moment of calm amid the chaos, Bruno Guimarães found Gabriel Martinelli at the edge of the six-yard box, and the Arsenal forward took a touch and dispatched it into the far post.