RJ Hamster
SI:AM | Nonstop Thrills in the Knockout Stage
DAN GARTLAND
Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. I have good news for Europe after a rough day at the World Cup yesterday: at least one UEFA country will advance to the round of 16 today. (France and Sweden are playing each other.)
In today’s SI:AM:
How can you follow that?
Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated
When I wrote yesterday that “this week is shaping up to be perhaps the best week of the entire World Cup,” I didn’t expect that we’d get a whole week’s worth of drama packed into a single day.
Four of the 16 games in the round of 32 have been played, and all four have been thrillers. It got started with Canada’s historic victory over South Africa on Sunday, sealed by Stephen Eustáquio’s stoppage-time game-winner, and the trio of games on Monday picked up right where we left off.
⚽ Check out SI’s World Cup Daily
Two of the most successful countries in the history of international soccer were prematurely ousted from the tournament in heart-stopping penalty shootouts yesterday, while another traditional power survived a serious scare.
Five-time champions Brazil trailed early against Japan, but advanced thanks to a stoppage-time goal by Gabriel Martinelli. Four-time champions Germany were sent packing after losing a penalty shootout against Paraguay. In the nightcap, the Netherlands, which has not lost a World Cup match in regulation since 2006, fell in a shootout against Morocco. CONTINUE DAN’S COLUMN ON SI
Clay Patrick McBride/Sports Illustrated
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👀 The top five …
… things I saw yesterday:
5. Seiya Suzuki’s walk-off hit for the Cubsagainst dominant Padres closer Mason Miller. It was a high flyball that looked like it might clear the fence or might be caught by San Diego left fielder Jase Bowen. “At first, I thought he caught it,” Suzuki told reportersthrough an interpreter. “But then I saw a white object that came out of the ivy. That’s when I knew it dropped.” The Cubs now have an MLB-high 10 walk-off wins this season.
4. An amazing catch by Reds center fielder Dane Myers, who crashed hard into the wall after making the grab. He had to be carted off the field. X-rays taken at the ballpark came back negative, but manager Terry Francona told reporters that Myers was taken to the hospital “because he was in so much pain.”
3. Dutch goalie Bart Verbruggen’s save in extra time to keep his team in the game.
2. The Brazilian and Mexican fans who consoled a Japanese fan after his team’s loss brought him to tears.
1. The Paraguayan TV call of the moment it beat Germany.
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