World Cup round-up in photos as Germany and Netherlands crash out whereas Neymar benched once more

World Cup powerhouses Germany and the Netherlands were both ousted in penalty shootouts, marking the most shocking outcomes of the tournament to date.

Four-time winners Germany were dramatically ejected from the competition in the early hours of Tuesday morning, succumbing to Paraguay on penalties. Shortly after, three-time finalists the Netherlands followed suit, suffering a similar fate against Morocco in North America.

Earlier, Brazil narrowly survived a nail-biter against Japan, with all three matches producing highly charged scenes. This included a heart-wrenchingly poignant moment for Liverpool star Cody Gakpo, and a tale of two fortunes for Arsenal’s players.

Brazil progressed to the next stage following a thrilling 2-1 comeback win over Japan in Houston. Kaishu Sano put the Samurai Blue in front on the half-hour mark, but Brazil rallied after the break with ex-Manchester United player Casemiro levelling the score with a signature header before Arsenal winger Gabriel Martinelli netted the winner in the fifth minute of added time.

Brazil will now face either Norway or Ivory Coast in the last 16. And it remains to be seen if legendary Neymar will actually get to see more game time at some point.

There were tears of disbelief and joy as Paraguay pulled off one of the biggest World Cup shocks by eliminating Germany.

Former Brighton man Julio Enciso handed Paraguay a 1-0 advantage in the 42nd minute, but Arsenal forward Kai Havertz levelled matters for Germany in the 54th minute.

However, following a 1-1 stalemate after extra-time, the South Americans prevailed 4-3 on penalties, with Jose Canale converting the decisive spot-kick. Germany had previously won six of seven penalty shootouts in major tournaments and had never been beaten in a shootout at the World Cup.

Havertz and Newcastle striker Nick Woltemade both failed from the penalty spot, before Tah blasted his effort over the crossbar, allowing Canale to fire home the winner and seal the remarkable victory.

Julian Nagelsmann’s side were left furious after having a goal controversially chalked off during extra-time. Jonathan Tah believed he had found the net with a thunderous header at the far post, but following a VAR check, referee Jalal Jayed disallowed the strike due to a foul by Germany’s Waldemar Anton, who was deemed to have obstructed Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill in the build-up.

Alan Shearer on BBC One said the Paraguayan had “conned the referee”. He said: “The keeper falls to the ground on a slight touch and it’s very soft. I thought it was a terrible decision. You have to understand it is a contact sport, the goalkeeper has conned the referee and the VAR. The way he went down was pathetic.”

Speaking afterwards, legendary Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp delivered a thinly-veiled dig at Arsenal. Klopp, now Red Bull’s Head of Global Soccer, said: “If that’s a disallowed goal, then Arsenal wouldn’t be English champions. They scored 60% of their goals like that.”

Germany’s elimination at the Round of 32 stage is expected to intensify scrutiny on Nagelsmann’s role, though he confirmed following the match that he has no intention of stepping down, reports the Mirror.

Morocco became the fourth nation to book their place in the last 16 overnight, defeating the Netherlands who collapsed in a penalty shootout. Cody Gakpo thought he had struck the decisive goal for Ronald Koeman’s side in the 72nd minute, only for Issa Diop to level for Morocco in the 91st minute.

There was an emotional moment involving Gakpo after he found the net for the Netherlands, just days following the devastating loss of his unborn son. The Liverpool striker and his partner Noa van der Bij announced over the weekend that their second son, Elijah, tragically died during pregnancy.

After dropping to the turf following his goal, Gakpo’s Dutch teammates immediately surrounded him in support. Micky van de Ven gently kissed him on the head as Gakpo wept, before covering his face with his shirt while Liverpool colleague Virgil van Dijk consoled him.

The former PSV ace pointed towards the sky in honour of his unborn child as he made his way back to the centre circle. Despite crafting chances to secure the win in extra time, it was Morocco who triumphed in the nail-biting penalty shootout, clinching a 3-2 victory in Mexico. Ismael Saibari slotted home the decisive penalty after Crysencio Summerville, Justin Kluivert and Quinten Timber all failed to convert for the Dutch side.

In other news, New York is preparing for an impending heatwave, leading the city’s mayor to issue a warning about “extremely dangerous conditions”. Zohran Mandani, Mayor of New York City, announced that temperatures are expected to soar above 37 degrees C from Wednesday through to at least Saturday, potentially reaching a scorching 42 degrees C on Friday.

“Under the City’s Heat Emergency Plan, the City has been planning since last week for what may be a historic heat wave,” he shared on X. “Authorities will activate hundreds of free cooling locations across the city from Wednesday,” he added.