OFFSIDE | World Cup 2026: Can Japan go full Kill Bill on Brazil in Round of 32? | Football news

Hello and welcome to Offside: your daily summary and wait for the World Cup. The strangest thing about Day 18 was that it only had one game and it was one that would have made cricket fans feel like they were watching the first round of an ICC tournament if Cricket Canada hadn’t been busted for gang-related corruption.

Action Recap: Canada 1-0 South Africa

In cricket there is an often repeated phrase: the intention was there. Canada had more intentions, South Africa spent looking for extra time and penalties, but Stephen Eustaquio had other ideas. Alphonso Davise proved the difference once he came on in the 75th minute and immediately got the mood like maple syrup on pancakes. Canada moves on to the Round of 32 where they will face either the not-so-powerful Netherlands or Morocco.

Action of the day: Brazil vs Japan

June 29, 22:30 ISTIn “Kill Bill”, Hattori Hanzo makes a blade for the bride and tells her: “If in your journey you should meet God, God will be cut.” The Japan team seemed strong, like a samurai sword or a Shogun to save the kingdom, but now they face the football gods in Brazil, even if God has been MIA since 2002.

Watch WarriorVinicius Jr of Brazil looks on fire, as if he was fed by a thousand racist chants. With another star, Takefusa Kubo, injured, Japan will look to Daichi Kamada for inspiration.Battle planJapan will try to make this a game of discipline, quick passing and sharp breaks. Without Kubo, Daichi Kamada has to become the brain between midfield and attack, while Junya Ito gives him the wide outlet.

Brazil’s plan is simpler and more frightening: get the ball to Vinicius Jr before Japan can establish their shape. If Japan narrowly misses it, Brazil will punish a single pass.The key battle is Japan’s clean possession against Brazil’s open field violence. Japan needs pace. Brazil needs grass. Whoever gets their wish controls the match.Conversation at the dinner tableJapan have already beaten Germany, Spain and England in recent years, and even defeated Brazil in an earlier friendly. The smart money would be on Brazil, but Japan is a nation that has always come back from impossible odds. If they can survive atomic bombs, they can trouble the Samba boys.

Action of the day: Germany vs Paraguay

June 30, 2:00 am ISTGermany arrive with four World Cups, a squad full of shiny moving parts, and the nagging feeling that something in the machine is always off. Paraguay is like Billy Butcher with a crowbar but with the eternal faith that he can still kill that Homelander c****.Watch WarriorGermany will look to Jamal Musiala for magic, because even the best German machine needs someone who can draw outside the lines. Paraguay returns to Miguel Almiron, whose pace can surprise teams.Battle planGermany will want the ball, time and enough space for Musiala and Florian Wirtz to finally turn promise into punishment. If they score first, this could become an exercise in German administration. Paraguay’s plan is simpler: block the middle, slow down the match, win fouls and make Germany impatient. Then release Almiron into space and see if panic travels faster than a ball through it. The key battle is the control of Germany against the chaos of Paraguay. Germany needs pace. Paraguay needs mud. Whoever gets their wish controls the match.Conversation at the dinner tableThe smart money will be on Germany, because history, talent and common sense point that way. But Paraguay is still ready for a fight. Expect them to be a key in the works.

Match day action: Netherlands vs Morocco

June 30, 6:30 am ISTJohan Cruyff’s Total Football is now a museum exhibit with better lighting than the current Dutch backline. The Oranje are still dangerous, but they are no longer imagined as they once were. Morocco, meanwhile, has gone from plucky underdogs to one of Africa’s next heavyweights.To paraphrase Rick Blaine: of all the knockout ties in all the World Cups, the Dutch had to walk in this one.Watch WarriorThe Netherlands will look to Cody Gakpo for the striker and Virgil van Dijk for the calm. An additional emotional thread is Gakpo’s loss of a child. Morocco will look to Achraf Hakimi for thrust, Brahim Diaz for invention, and Ismael Saibari for the kind of annoying value that ruins European sleep cycles.

Battle planThe Dutch want the ball, the width and the attacking flow enough to make this look like a new philosophy of football. The problem is that they scored freely, but also kept leaving the door open. Morocco’s plan is to stay compact, pass through Hakimi and Diaz, and make every Dutch charge feel like a border incident. The key battle is Dutch control against Moroccan nerve. Holland needs pace. Morocco needs a clean break and a crowd that starts to believe in 2022 again.Conversation at the dinner tableMorocco will always have Qatar, but they want more than memories. The Dutch will still have Cruyff, orange shirts and enough talented defenders to build a dam, except now that the Dutch grip still loses. If Hakimi and Diaz find the cracks, this could be the end of a great run for the Oranje. Play again, Sam: football, breakthroughs and a Moroccan counterattack.