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Who’s in, who’s out, and storylines to watch : NPR


Japan played as if they could beat anyone (and they did, beating Spain and Germany). Brazil remains the all-time winner, even as they wait to see if star striker Neymar can return from injury. And the United States, led by captain Tyler Adams, looks better than expected.

Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images; Image of Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty; Picture Patrick T. Fallon/AFP/Getty


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Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images; Image of Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty; Picture Patrick T. Fallon/AFP/Getty


Japan played as if they could beat anyone (and they did, beating Spain and Germany). Brazil remains the all-time winner, even as they wait to see if star striker Neymar can return from injury. And the United States, led by captain Tyler Adams, looks better than expected.

Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images; Image of Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty; Picture Patrick T. Fallon/AFP/Getty

This year’s World Cup has been a football spectacle: Steamrolls, mess, dramatic goals, penalty kicks, pelvic infection, tears of joy, tears of devastation, just a few millimeters of the shoulder and the soccer ball makes all the difference between elimination and ecstasy.

And that’s just the group stage.

Now, the knockout phase begins. A thrilling mix of Goliath and David alike set in a 16-man frame. Each will play until only one remains undefeated, crowned champion for four years of glory and bragging rights.

And a real World Cup is this year: For the first time, teams from all six populous continents compete in the knockout stages, including two from Africa and two from Asia. No team outside of Europe or South America has ever attended a World Cup final. This year, six teams hope to break that record.

When are the games? Who should you root for? Who is the best to win them all? Here’s your conversation guide to round 16, along with a match-by-match preview, as we head into the weekend:

I like winners. Who should I root for?

Nothing is certain in the World Cup, but Brazil seems to be the top dog – no surprise for the most winning team in World Cup history. Despite struggling in the knockout stages since winning their last trophy in 2002, this year Brazil had a relatively easy path to the final.

Other safe options include France, Argentina and Spain, all at times proved to be dominant in the group stage match. Argentina is leading, of course, by Lionel Messi, one of the greatest players of all time. France, 2018 champions, has electric Kylian Mbappé, who at 23 already has too many remarkable stats and records to list – just know that he’s a historic teammate with the likes of like Pelé and Ronaldo. And Spain are hoping to rekindle the miracle of winning the 2010 World Cup with a host of new youth phenomena, including 20-year-old midfielder Pedri, who has been named Europe’s best young player. last year.

Who are the less fortunate ones that I can pursue?

Trendy option is Japan, who recorded two wins in the group stage against heavyweights Spain and Germany with tenacious play, making the most of limited opportunities. The Green Samurai yes never won a single match in the knockout round; Monday’s game against Croatia could be the first.

another option is Maroc, who could be the biggest surprise of the tournament by helping Belgium take down 2-0. This is only the second time that Morocco has reached the knockout stages and they are also looking for their first win in this round – although they have a tough draw with Spain.

Most notable losses from the group stage

Belgium officially ending an era: The so-called “Golden Generation” of players who brought the team to the finish line in third place just four years ago, and this year the team is considered the most popular team to win all. It was instead dropped after a surprise 0-2 loss to Morocco and a disappointing 0-0 draw against Croatia on Thursday.

Germanyalso felt the pain of being eliminated after failing to get over the 1-2 loss to Japan. The 2014 winners have failed to make it past two World Cups since then. Uruguay also had a similar exit after a draw with South Korea in the opening match of the tournament, failing to progress even after beating Ghana 2-0 in the final match.

Watch each match in the Round of 16

Netherlands v. US (Saturday, December 3, 10:00 a.m. ET): The Dutch team advanced in a relatively easy group. Dutch striker Cody Gakpo was the standout man on his team with a goal in all three group stage games, making him one of the top scorers at the World Cup to date. The US has a solid defence – they haven’t conceded a single goal during the group stage game – so their challenge will instead be to score. The Americans have scored only two goals so far and Christian Pulisic has been involved in both. Pulisic was allowed to play on Saturday following his injury against Iran, but whether he is really at 100% could be the deciding factor for the US

Argentina v. Australia (Saturday, December 3, 2:00 p.m. ET): Expectations for Argentina are high as they head into Messi’s final World Cup. The team stumbles early with a historic loss to Saudi Arabia – Probably the biggest disappointment in the history of the tournament – but has since tuned the ship with a 2-0 win over both Mexico and Poland. Messi hopes to lead Argentina back to the final for the first time since 2014, when they lost 1-0 to Germany. Anything less would be a disappointment. While Australia may have the best nickname at the World Cup, the Socceroos don’t have the best chance of going deep – their progress has come as a surprise around the 1-0 loss to Denmark, and they will need a match. lose even bigger to overtake Argentina.

France v. Poland (Sunday, December 4, 10:00 a.m. ET): Through the first two games, defending World Cup champions France looked like the team to beat this year, with a systematic attacking play that kept opponents suffocating. Mbappé has three goals in this tournament. France is the favorite, by many. This is not to say that Poland has no chance: White and red have their own star in Robert Lewandowski, the 34-year-old striker, one of the best players in the world. And Lewandowski is hungry for World Cup glory: Despite scoring more than 500 goals in his career, he only scored his first World Cup goal last week.

England v. Senegal (Sunday, December 4, 2:00 p.m. ET): Expectations are always high for England, whose top teams have never finished better than 4th place since winning the 1966 World Cup. Oh. The 6-2 victory over Iran showed the ability of this team – a rain of goals, especially from fixed situations like corners. But so was the 0-0 draw with the US, where the Three Lions’ attack had difficulty creating opportunities from the middle of the field. Senegal is the top African team left in the tournament. They are playing without their star, world-class striker Sadio Mané, who picked up an injury just before the World Cup. But even without Mané, Senegal will not be easy, with energy and pace of play that can pose a challenge for England.

Japan v. Croatia (Monday, December 5, 10:00 a.m. ET): Japan has jumped into fan-favorite territory after emerging as the winner of Group E, edging out Germany and Spain. The team won both matches even though the opponent dominated in possession (74% for Germany, 82% for Spain) – dangerous despite limited opportunities. Japan will go into Monday’s match feeling as though they are capable of beating any of the remaining teams in the World Cup, and that’s true. It was an unfortunate draw for Croatia, who were better in theory. Croatia returned to most of the core squad that made it all the way to the final in the 2018 World Cup, but that is Since then, they have often struggled in international matches, including two goalless draws in this year’s group stage. This is a bounce.

Brazil v. South Korea (Monday, December 5, 2:00 p.m. ET): Brazil entered the World Cup with 1st place and won the top spot. But it is star Neymar picked up an injury in Brazil’s opening match against Serbia – his return in the knockout stages remains an open question. With or without Neymar, Brazil will be strong contenders against their opponents South Korea, who reached the Round of 16 with a stunning (and exciting) loss on Friday to Portugal. South Korea’s Premier League forward Hwang Hee-chan came on as a substitute in the crucial game after missing the first two games with a hamstring injury; His sneaky goal in injury time put his team through.

Morocco v. Spain (Tuesday, December 6, 10:00 a.m. ET): Morocco’s starting record could be met with a saw here in Spain, which slipped to this spot in the Round of 16 after a nasty loss to Japan. Spain has only won the World Cup once in 2010, but this year’s squad is a great mix of experienced veterans and young players competing in the World Cup for the first time. Spain will take precedence – but if Morocco can beat Belgium 2-0 (and it will be 3-0 if no goals are disallowed), they can beat anyone .

Portugal v. Switzerland (Tuesday, December 6, 2:00 p.m. ET): Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, perhaps the most famous footballer in the world, has accomplished everything possible in football – except winning the World Cup. At 37 years old, this could be his last shot to bring home the trophy for Portugal and the team around him. Recently, however, Portugal has been underperforming and Switzerland has become strong. The Swiss went head-to-head with Europe’s strongest teams in the international tournament in 2021. In June, these two teams faced off twice and split the winner. But Ronaldo could be the one to make the difference: He sat out the first game, which Switzerland won 1–0, then returned in the rematch and scored twice in a 4-0 win over Portugal.

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