Notably, Japan gained its first-ever victory over Brazil in a friendly in Tokyo in October, rallying from 2-0 at halftime to win 3-2, although one of the scorers that day, striker Takumi Minamino, is not on the squad due to injury.
Brazil qualified from its group comfortably enough, but the 34-year-old Casemiro could struggle against a dynamic and dogged Japan. Coach Carlo Ancelotti will be hoping for another star turn from Vinícius Júnior, who scored two against Scotland last time out and has four in total. Ancelotti has at least seemed to have found his best starting 11. That includes Matheus Cunha up front, who will be looking to add to his three tournament goals.
The winner will face either Ivory Coast or Norway on July 5 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Another traditional World Cup powerhouse is three-time finalist the Netherlands. It plays Morocco — like Japan, another emerging force on the world stage — in another intriguing matchup.
In today’s other game, Germany plays Paraguay. The winner will play either France or Sweden.
Men in Blazers
Canadian football wasn’t supposed to be here. The knockout rounds of a World Cup were supposed to be a fever dream. Before this tournament, Les Rouges had lost every World Cup match in their history, which puts the totemic accomplishments of Jesse Marsch into perspective. Their 1-0 round of 32 victory over South Africa yesterday wasn’t just a win; it was a groundbreaking achievement. Marsch is often cast as a character that isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but when he did his best Coach Carter impression after the match, telling his team they were “Canadian heroes for the future children of this country,” it was hard not to believe him. Marsch now has this group — and all of Canada — believing, and sometimes, that is all you need to spark a World Cup run.
Today, the round of 32 really gets into motion. First, Brazil and Japan clash at 1 p.m. ET in Houston, with five-time winners in the Seleção and star forward Vinícius Júnior meeting Daichi Kamada and the Samurai Blue. Then, 2014 champion Germany takes on the ever-resilient Paraguay at 4:30 p.m. ET in Boston as La Albirroja and Julio Enciso look to stun the world. The evening ends with a five-course meal as the Netherlands clashes with 2022 semifinalist Morocco at 9 p.m. ET in Monterrey. The Dutch, led by surprise Golden Boot candidate Brian Brobbey, are still searching for their first-ever World Cup title, while the Atlas Lions are looking to mimic their heroics from four years ago.
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What we’re watching
World Cup! All the games are on Telemundo and Peacock, and all times are Eastern:
- 1 p.m.: Brazil vs. Japan
- 4:30 p.m.: Germany vs. Paraguay
- 9 p.m.: Netherlands vs. Morocco