Belgium & Germany Bounced From World Cup; Japan, Spain, Croatia & Morocco Join the Knockouts
Two European juggernauts came crumbling down Thursday in Qatar in a wild day of group-stage action at the World Cup. Both Belgium and Germany were eliminated from Groups E and F despite a German win and a Belgium draw. Japan took the top spot in Group E while Spain held on to advance past Germany on the tiebreaker goal differential (by one). In Group F, Morocco’s Cinderella story continued with a win over Canada that allowed Croatia to claim the second spot by holding Belgium to a draw. Germany and Belgium, are out. The final two spots in the Round of 16 will be claimed today before the Knockout Stage begins Saturday.
World Cup Highlights
Group E: Japan def. Spain (2-1)
Group E: Germany def. Costa Rica (4-2)
Group F: Morocco def. Canada (2-1)
Group F: Croatia draw Belgium (0-0)
Teams Advanced (14): Japan, Spain, Croatia, Morocco, Argentina, Poland, Australia, USA, England, Senegal, Netherlands, France, Brazil & Portugal
Today’s Schedule
Group H: South Korea vs. Portugal (10:00 am ET)
Group H: Ghana vs. Uruguay (10:00 am ET)
Group G: Serbia vs. Switzerland (2:00 pm ET)
Group G: Cameroon vs. Brazil (2:00 pm ET)
Portugal and Brazil have already won Groups G and H, but two spots are still up for grabs.
Additional Storylines
ESPN: Germany Captain Thomas Muller Calls World Cup Exit ‘Absolute Catastrophe’
Yahoo! Sports: Morocco Wins Group F, Keeps Canada Pointless in World Cup
Photo: Matthias Hangst / Getty Images
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