Morocco’s victory sparked celebrations among the Moroccan community in the Netherlands, where thousands took to the streets after the dramatic penalty shootout win.
In Amsterdam, fans celebrated throughout the early morning, while some incidents were reported in The Hague, where police said officers were targeted with bottles and fireworks.
The match carried extra meaning for many Dutch citizens of Moroccan descent, with questions raised before the game about whether they would support the Netherlands or Morocco.
Around 440,000 people of Moroccan heritage live in the Netherlands, creating a unique connection between the two countries.
Former Netherlands international Ibrahim Afellay, who represented the Dutch national team, explained his support for Morocco despite his history with the Netherlands.
The debate also became political, with discussions around identity, migration and national loyalty continuing online.
Several Morocco players, including Noussair Mazraoui, Sofyan Amrabat and Anass Salah-Eddine, were born in the Netherlands but chose to represent Morocco internationally.
Paraguay stun Germany
Paraguay produced one of the biggest surprises of the World Cup by defeating Germany on penalties to reach the last 16.
The match finished 1-1 after 120 minutes before Paraguay won the shootout 4-3, with Jose Canale scoring the decisive penalty.
Germany missed three penalties, with Kai Havertz, Nick Woltemade and Jonathan Tah failing from the spot.
The defeat marked another disappointing World Cup exit for Germany, following their group-stage eliminations in 2018 and 2022.
Germany captain Joshua Kimmich accepted responsibility, saying the team could not blame penalties or refereeing decisions after failing to win the match during normal play.
Paraguay defended strongly throughout the game and shocked Germany when Enciso scored their first-ever knockout-stage World Cup goal.
Germany dominated possession but struggled to create clear chances. They eventually equalised through Kai Havertz after Florian Wirtz provided the assist.
They thought they had scored a late winner through Tah in extra time, but the goal was ruled out after a VAR review.
Paraguay held firm and completed a famous victory that sent them into the next round.
Brazil came from behind to beat Japan
Gabriel Martinelli scored a dramatic 95th-minute winner as Brazil came from behind to beat Japan and set up a World Cup last-16 tie against Norway or Ivory Coast.
With just seconds left, Brazil won possession back on the edge of the Japan box and Bruno Guimaraes slipped the ball into Martinelli, who took a touch before slotting in off the post.
It was a heartbreaking end for Japan, who had more than matched Brazil in the first half and battled valiantly in the second, but Carlo Ancelotti’s side kept pushing and got their reward in final moments.
Japan were comfortable in the first half and Kaishu Sano pounced on Danilo’s loose pass to drive past Casemiro and drill the ball into the bottom corner to give his side the lead.
Brazil struggled to respond before half-time but looked a different side after the break with Casemiro rising to power home Gabriel’s back-post cross 10 minutes after the restart.
The goal had been coming and the five-time World Cup winners nearly took the lead in stunning fashion three minutes later.
Vinicius Jr received the ball 10 yards inside the Japan half, nutmegged his marker, drove into the box, jinked past another defender and stabbed his shot towards the far corner – only for Japan keeper Zion Suzuki to tip it on to the post.
Japan regrouped from there and while Brazil continued to push forward, chances were limited.
That is until Ao Tanaka lost the ball on the corner of his own box and was ruthlessly punished by Martinelli and Brazil.
