The World Cup really is a tournament full of surprises. Yesterday, we saw two major upsets as both Germany and the Netherlands were knocked out in the Round of 32. 

Germany faced Paraguay and entered as the favorites to advance further through the bracket. However, after 120 minutes of tightly contested football and a tense penalty shootout, it was Paraguay’s José Canale’s decisive penalty that hit the back of the net to send Paraguay to the Round of 16.

A similar story unfolded in the Netherlands’ match against Morocco. Neither side was able to break the tie during regular or extra time, so the game was decided by penalties. It was an unusual round of penalties, with several penalties being sent wide, hitting the post, or being saved. In the end, Morocco came out on top winning 3-2 on penalties to secure their place in the Round of 16.  

What made these upsets even more remarkable was how little separated the teams were. Both matches remained frozen in a tie after 120 minutes and were ultimately decided by penalty shootouts. It was a reminder of just how fine the margins are at the World Cup and a warning to the other big teams that no knockout match should be taken for granted.