Best World Cup Round Of 32 Matches Brazil V Japan Portugal Croatia

Here’s a quick look at five matches from those 16 that you can ill-afford to miss:

Only five teams have scored more goals in the group stage than Brazil and Japan, which highlights the potency in their respective attacks. Though, there is a characteristic difference: seven of Brazil’s eight goals have come from the pair of Vinicius Junior and Matheus Cunha. Japan, on the contrary, believe in the philosophy of decentralisation, having found five scorers so far. On paper, this game has all the makings of a high-scoring contest.

There are several indicators that suggest this could be the most evenly balanced tie of the knockout stage. The Netherlands and Morocco have squared off thrice, with every encounter decided by a solitary goal. Moreover, they are placed adjacent to one another on the FIFA rankings — the African nation being in sixth place, with the Dutch breathing down their necks.

Cristiano Ronaldo and his team might be wondering how they got to this place. A flawless group stage would have earned them a considerably kinder route through the knockout bracket, beginning with Ghana before a potential meeting with either Switzerland or Algeria. They were anything but flawless. What we have got instead is a delectable tie against Croatia, who finished fourth in 2022, and second in the edition before that. The highlight of this game will be the clash of two enduring icons in their forties — Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric. Watch out for the ‘friends turned foes’ subplot.

Austria would not have been at this stage, if not for a dramatic 96th minute goal from Sasa Kalajdzic. Now, in their first World Cup knockout appearance since 1954, they face arguably the toughest assignment available — reigning European champions Spain. Cape Verde, however, have shown that Lamine Yamal’s team can be stopped in their tracks, if only one remains resolute. Austria must be so, for the entire 90 minutes, and a further 30 if need be.

No fixture encapsulates the romance of the World Cup better. There are 63 places between the first-ranked Argentina and the 64th-ranked Cape Verde. The question, hence, is — why have we selected this in the top five? Purely because the World Cup is as much about the underdogs as it is about the winners. Against the world champions, who are being led by the indomitable figure of Lionel Messi — currently leading the Golden Boot race with six goals — a tiny archipelago of 10 islands. The population of Rosario — the city where Messi was born — is more than thrice of Cape Verde’s. That, the Blue Sharks are here, is a miracle. If only they beat the three-time champions, it would be the mother of all miracles.

12:30 AM — South Africa vs Canada 10:30 PM — Brazil vs Japan

2 AM — Germany vs Paraguay 6:30 AM — Netherlands vs Morocco 10:30 PM — Ivory Coast vs Norway

2:30 AM — France vs Sweden 6:30 AM — Mexico vs Ecuador 9:30 PM — England vs DR Congo

1:30 AM — Belgium vs Senegal 5:30 AM — USA vs Bosnia and Herzegovina

12:30 AM — Spain vs Austria 4:30 AM — Portugal vs Croatia 8:30 AM — Switzerland vs Algeria 11:30 PM — Australia vs Egypt

3:30 AM — Argentina vs Cape Verde 7 AM — Colombia vs Ghana