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At the two thousand twenty six World Cup, Germany's tournament is over and the hurt is real. A side that had converted seventeen of eighteen all-time penalty attempts collapsed against Paraguay, missing three straight in the round of thirty two. The rot runs deep, and for a nation that expects dominance, this one is going to sting for a long time.
Meanwhile Morocco are through to the last sixteen after a stunning shootout victory over the Netherlands, one-one after ninety minutes, then three-two on penalties. Ismael Saibari buried the winner in the bottom left corner and goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen guessed wrong. The Atlas Lions now face co-hosts Canada on Saturday in Houston with a quarterfinal berth on the line.
And the story that transcended the sport entirely — Cody Gakpo scored for the Netherlands just two days after he and his partner announced the loss of their unborn son Elijah Raphael. He pointed to the sky, his teammates wrapped around him, and for a moment the whole stadium understood something bigger than football was happening on that pitch.
That's your play-by-play. Sports Desk, back to the booth.
