Upsets

The making of Morocco: How a largely foreign-born contingent delivered in Qatar

DOHA - Morocco’s unexpected march to the World Cup semifinals can be attributed partly to a policy of deliberately seeking out talent in the Diaspora to strengthen the national team and give them a better chance of success.

14 of Morocco’s 26-man squad were born outside the country, more than any other team at the tournament in Qatar, providing an eclectic mix of players from growing migrant communities across Europe who have helped them break new ground.

Drogba, Shakira, Elon Musk among many sending Morocco congrats on making history

Morocco's 1-0 upset of Portugal in the World Cup on Saturday made history as they became the first African nation to ever reach the semifinals. Congratulations came from all corners of the world after the Atlas Lions knocked Cristiano Ronaldo's side out of the tournament.

Twitter owner and CEO Elon Musk — certainly happy for all the engagements and interactions that the team is generating on his social platform — sent some love. 

Cristiano Ronaldo's World Cup dream is over

Needing just three wins to lift the 2022 FIFA World Cup and beginning the journey against unfavored Morocco on Saturday, Portugal slipped to a historic 1-0 defeat against the Atlas Lions, meaning Morocco's the first African side to ever reach the semifinals while Cristiano Ronaldo's record-setting international career is at a crossroads. 

Neymar iguala récord de Pelé, pero Croacia lo deja convertido en un mar de lágrimas

El camino de Brasil en la Copa del Mundo se acabó en cuartos de final.

La verdeamarelha puso en la cancha todo su arsenal ofensivo para avanzar a semifinalesl, pero acabó desmoronándose mentalmente ante una Croacia que volvió a mostrarle al planeta que tiene una sapiencia defensiva inigualable y que las piernas de sus jugadores pueden correr en loop hasta que nuestro sol se convierta en una enana blanca.

Neymar ties Pelé’s record with sublime goal but Brazil eliminated on penalties

Neymar Jr. tied Pelé’s record for the most goals scored for Brazil’s national team on Friday during his side’s 4-2 defeat on penalties vs. Croatia. Neymar’s go-ahead goal in the 106th minute was a classic display of his silky footwork and his 77th for Brazil.

Croatia’s goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic put in a nearly flawless shift denying and frustrating the Brazilians all game. It was going to take something truly special to put the ball in Croatia’s net, and Neymar was just the man to do it.

Las atajadas de Bono y un Panenka de Hakimi dejan a España fuera del Mundial

No es por venir a presumir, pero en el análisis de Marruecos antes del Mundial hice una predicción: que Yassine Bounou, su arquero atajaría un penal durante el torneo. 

Y Bono, mi brother, no me decepcionó.

El arquero fue la figura de un Marruecos fenomenal, atajando no uno, sino que dos penales en la tanda con que los Leones del Atlas dieron el gran golpe de Catar 2022, despidiendo a España y avanzando a los cuartos de final del torneo.

World Cup favorites Spain bounced by ultimate humiliation: a Panenka and a waddle

Spain's shock 2018 World Cup Round of 16 exit at the hands of Russia — when La Furia Roja took 79% possession with 1,115 passes but fell in a penalty shootout — was supposed to be the ultimate nightmare fuel for the purveyors of tiki-taka.

On Tuesday in the 2022 World Cup Round of 16, Spain suffered another incredible upset in a penalty shootout, this time to African neighbors Morocco after taking 77% possession with 1,019 passes. 

Vincent Aboubakar accepts red card with a smile after scoring winning goal vs. Brazil and taking his shirt off

Scoring a last-minute winning goal against Brazil is not a usual achievement among soccer players, but Cameroonian captain Vincent Aboubakar can scratch that from his bucket list. The striker bagged a header in the 93rd minute during the last match of Group H in the 2022 World Cup and celebrated accordingly by taking his shirt off.

Son gets his World Cup moment and helps send South Korea to Round of 16 with 91st minute assist

South Korea secured a spot in the Round of 16 of the World Cup on Friday with an incredible last-minute goal against Portugal to win 2-1. The South Korean victory paired with Uruguay defeating Ghana 2-0 meant that the Asian underdogs advanced due to the tiebreaker of having more goals scored than Uruguay.

The18's USA vs. Netherlands prediction

The United States navigated group play admirably, going unbeaten and only conceding once, to advance to the World Cup Round of 16 with the Netherlands awaiting at Khalifa International Stadium on Saturday morning at 10 a.m. ET.

The USA vs. Netherlands odds clearly cast Gregg Berhalter's men as the underdogs. After 90 minutes, the Netherlands is 10/11 to win while the United States is at 10/3. The odds for requiring extra time are at 23/10. 

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