Football used to feel simple. Build a lead, manage the game and see out the final few minutes.
Not anymore. This World Cup’s expanded Round of 32 has changed everything. In knockout football, one mistake is enough to end your tournament. Teams that are trailing throw everything forward because they have nothing to lose. Teams that are leading suddenly become nervous, knowing one lapse could wipe out 90 minutes of hard work.
So far, the closing minutes have produced some of the most dramatic moments of the tournament. The 85th minute has become the point at which matches change, dreams collapse and heroes emerge.
Canada 1-0 South Africa
Eustáquio breaks South African hearts in stoppage time
South Africa defended brilliantly for more than 90 minutes against Canada. They looked set to force extra time before disaster struck.
A loose clearance fell kindly to Stephen Eustáquio in the 92nd minute, and the Canadian midfielder fired home from the edge of the box. One mistake was all it took to end South Africa’s World Cup journey.
Brazil 2-1 Japan
Martinelli delivers when extra time seemed certain
Japan looked on course for one of the biggest upsets of the tournament after Kaishu Sano gave them a first-half lead. Casemiro equalised midway through the second half, but Japan continued to defend courageously, with goalkeeper Zion Suzuki making several important saves.
Enter Gabriel Martinelli.
Six minutes into stoppage time, with the final whistle virtually in the referee’s mouth, Bruno Guimarães found the substitute, who calmly beat Suzuki to trigger absolute bedlam in Texas. Japan had matched the five-time champions step for step, only to be eliminated before they could even contest extra time.
Morocco 1-1 Netherlands (Morocco won 3-2 on penalties)
The Dutch let it slip
Cody Gakpo’s goal in the 72nd minute looked enough to send the Netherlands through. But Morocco had other ideas. Refusing to accept defeat, the Atlas Lions flooded the penalty area. In the 91st minute, substitute Issa Diop rose highest to meet a desperate cross, sending a looping header past Bart Verbruggen.
The psychological damage was done.
Having seen their ticket snatched away, the Dutch looked entirely drained throughout extra time, eventually crumbling 3-2 in the subsequent penalty shootout as Yassine Bounou took centre stage.
Norway 2-1 Ivory Coast
Haaland punishes a single mistake
Ivory Coast fought valiantly against Norway in Dallas, pulling level in the 74th minute through a magnificent weaving individual effort from Amad Diallo. The momentum was entirely with the African nation, who looked the more likely to find a winner as Norway’s midfield tired.
But elite football offers no room for romanticism.
In the 86th minute, given half a yard of space inside the penalty area, Erling Haaland did what he does best, turning in a low cross into an empty net to secure a 2-1 victory and become the fastest player to reach 60 international goals.
England 2-1 DR Congo
Harry Kane turns the game around
England’s encounter with DR Congo was an exercise in pure survival. Shocked by a seventh-minute opener from Brian Cipenga, Thomas Tuchel’s side spent an hour looking entirely devoid of creative ideas against an organised Congolese mid-block.
The turnaround, when it came, was swift and merciless.
Harry Kane equalised with a clinical header in the 75th minute, but he wasn’t finished. In the 86th minute, as the underdogs began to tire, the England captain struck again, turning the tie completely on its head and sealing a 2-1 win that sets up a monumental clash against co-hosts Mexico.
Belgium 3-2 Senegal (after extra time)
The comeback nobody saw coming
With five minutes of normal time remaining, Senegal were leading 2-0 and looked completely in control.
What followed was an unprecedented capitulation.
Romelu Lukaku reduced the deficit in the 86th minute, injecting panic into the Senegalese ranks. Three minutes later, Youri Tielemans headed a brave equaliser to force extra time.
The ultimate twist arrived in the 124th minute. With a penalty shootout looming, a lengthy VAR review resulted in Belgium being awarded a penalty. Tielemans, wearing the captain’s armband, stepped up in the final seconds of extra time to slot home the latest goal in World Cup history.
Also Read: Experience Counts: England and Belgium Show Why Big-Tournament Know-How Matters
The post THE 85TH-MINUTE CURSE: How the World Cup’s Round of 32 Has Become a Festival of Late Drama appeared first on Sports News Portal | Revsportz.
