Chaos, comebacks, and controversy: FIFA World Cup round of 32 roundup

The round of 32 is over, and it was packed with action. Across 16 matches, there were several stoppage-time winners and three penalty shootouts, with every game delivering its own drama. The round also saw the downfall of some footballing giants and the rise of smaller nations making their mark. For fans watching back in the UK, even the fixtures that seemed unworthy of setting a 3:00 AM alarm turned out to be the most tense of all, proving that you really can’t miss anything. But if you did, here is a roundup of all the twists and turns of the first knockout stage of this year’s World Cup.

Milestone Results

The round delivered a wave of historic breakthroughs, with several nations writing new chapters in their World Cup stories.

Celebrations erupted across the stadium and country to mark [Mexico’s] first knockout win in 40 years

Canada took their time, but eventually advanced for the first time in their history as Eustaquio struck in the 92nd minute after a tight contest in Los Angeles that lacked the home energy of the group stages. South Africa controlled possession but rarely broke through Canada’s press, while the co-hosts created the better chances.

Mexico followed with another landmark moment, beating Ecuador 2–0 thanks to first-half goals from Quiñones and Jiménez, as celebrations erupted across the stadium and country to mark their first knockout win in 40 years.

A disciplined Switzerland made history of their own, claiming a 2-0 victory over Algeria for their first knockout win in 88 years, with Embolo and Ndoye scoring early in each half.

Egypt perhaps wrote their names into the history books in the most tense fashion of all, beating Australia on penalties to claim their first knockout win. Ashour scored early, but wasteful finishing and Hany’s own goal, shortly after a concussion scare, brought Australia level and forced extra time. Even with Australia introducing veteran goalkeeper Ryan specifically for the shootout, Egypt held their nerve, winning 4–2 on penalties to book a clash with Argentina.

Major Upsets and Controversial Decisions

While one dramatic shootout created history, another produced one of the tournament’s biggest shocks, as Paraguay knocked out four-time world champions Germany 4-3 on penalties. Germany dominated possession and unleashed over 20 shots, but Paraguay’s defence held firm. From one of their few attacks, Enciso headed home just before the break to put the South American side in the lead. Havertz equalised early in the second half, and Germany thought they had won it through Tah in extra time, only for VAR to intervene just before the restart and rule it out for a soft foul on the keeper. That decision proved decisive, with Paraguay edging the shootout after misses from Havertz, Woltemade and Tah, despite a brief German lifeline through Sanabria’s miss and a Neuer save. The result triggered a reset for the European giants, with Julian Nagelsmann stepping down days later.

The VAR decision marked a cruel ending to Croatia’s tournament and Luka Modrić’s iconic international career

Portugal’s clash with Croatia brought even greater controversy. With the score at 1-1, Portugal retook the lead four minutes into stoppage time through a Ramos header. Croatia thought they had forced extra time moments later when Gvardiol slammed home amid chaotic scenes, only for a lengthy VAR review to rule the goal out after judging Pašalić offside due to a faint touch from Matanović detected solely by the ball’s microchip and none of the camera angles. The decision sparked fresh debate over VAR’s use of ‘clear and obvious’ for touches imperceptible to the naked eye. With no time left to respond, the VAR decision marked a cruel ending to Croatia’s tournament and Luka Modrić’s iconic international career. The result sets up a blockbuster clash between Portugal and Spain, while extending Ronaldo’s ‘last dance’ (though with him, you can never completely rule out one more run).

Late Dramatic Comebacks

It didn’t take long for the comeback stories to begin in the round, with Morocco recovering to knock out the Netherlands. A quiet first half stayed scoreless largely thanks to several great saves from Bart Verbruggen, before the Oranje broke through midway through the second when Summerville, despite slipping, scuffed the ball into Gakpo’s path for a composed finish. It was an emotional moment for the Liverpool forward after a deeply difficult personal week, and the goal looked set to send the Dutch through — only for Diop’s stoppage-time header to force extra time. With neither side able to find a winner, the tie went to penalties. Koopmeiners gave the Netherlands the perfect start, compounded by El Aynaoui missing for Morocco, but failures from Kluivert and Timber, along with Bounou’s save from Summerville, swung the shootout in Morocco’s favour as they stormed back to win 3-2.

In arguably the round’s most thrilling match, Argentina edged debutants Cape Verde 3-2 after extra time. Some may have expected a routine win for the holders, but the underdogs refused to follow the script. Cape Verde emerged sharper after the break, canceling out Messi’s opener when Duarte caught the defence off guard to score from a near-impossible angle. Backed by seven saves from Vozinha, they dragged the game into extra time, where the chaos intensified. Martínez rifled Argentina back ahead two minutes in, only for Cape Verde to stun the champions again eleven minutes later. A sweeping team move from back to front ended with Sidny Cabral cutting inside to unleash a magnificent, curling long-range strike into the top corner that may go down as one of the best of the tournament. A late Romero header, deflected in, finally sealed Argentina’s escape and denied Cape Verde what would have been a hard-fought fairytale ending to the match.

Substitute Gordon twice combined with Kane late in the second half to seal England’s first World Cup comeback win since 1966

Elsewhere, England avoided a historic upset by coming from behind to beat DR Congo 2-1. Cipenga stunned England with a seventh-minute finish after a defensive lapse, and for long spells the African side frustrated the favourites, with goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi producing a string of superb saves to deny Kane and Bellingham. Their lead could have been extended before the break, but Wissa’s attempt struck the post. England eventually broke through when substitute Gordon twice combined with Kane late in the second half, setting up the captain to complete a brace and seal their first World Cup comeback win since 1966 to the relief of fans.

Brazil also recovered to beat Japan 2–1, with Casemiro levelling before Martinelli struck late to punish Japan for sitting back.

Norway edged Ivory Coast to win 2-1. Nusa’s first-half wonder strike gave them the lead, but substitute Diallo briefly changed the game for Ivory Coast with a goal-line clearance at one end and a composed equaliser at the other. However, Haaland inevitably had the final word, tapping in Berg’s cutback in the 86th minute.

One of the most chaotic comebacks of the round saw Belgium beating Senegal 3-2 after extra time. After early chaos including pitch invasions, substitute Lukaku and Tielemans turned the game around late, after Senegal looked set to advance. With a penalty shootout looming, a long VAR review awarded Belgium a dramatic late spot-kick. Despite Senegal’s desperate protests that saw players physically guarding the penalty spot, Tielemans calmly slotted home the winner, leaving the African side to rue a massive missed opportunity.

Dominant Finishes

Not every match needed chaos to stand out.

With another convincing win, could France be the nation to win it all?

France’s clash with Sweden broke the trend of nail-biting finishes, as Les Bleus cruised to a statement 3-0 win against Sweden. Mbappé scored twice to push his tournament tally to six goals, while Olise dictated play with two assists for Barcola and Mbappé. He nearly added a spectacular scissor kick, but hit the post. With another convincing win, could they be the nation to win it all?

Spain were equally ruthless, dismantling Austria 3-0 in a match where their opponents failed to register a shot on target. Oyarzabal scored twice, continuing his fine form and taking his tally to 13 goals in 13 international appearances, while Pedro Porro came out of nowhere to power home his first international goal. Spain could have had more, with Schlager busy in goal and Yamal and Cucurella both denied, the latter by a controversial foul call on the keeper, again raising questions about whether goalkeepers are overpotected.

Co-hosts USA progressed with a 2-0 win over Bosnia. Balogun scored before being sent off for serious foul play, but even with ten men Tillman sealed victory with a free kick.

Colombia closed the round with a controlled 1-0 win over Ghana through Arias, though the scoreline disguised their dominance, with five big chances missed and a disallowed goal, while Ghana failed to register a shot on target.

Round of 16 fixtures 

Graphic: Sian Morgan / The Boar