Another exciting day of knockout games! Alan and Mel recap the most thrilling moments from today's matches, including, of course, Richarlison's second phenomenal goal of the tournament, cementing his place in the pantheon of World Cup greats. Brazil's 4-1 rout of South Korea was a balletic masterpiece, marking the return of the 'joga bonito' style of play that had captured the hearts of Brazil fans around the world in decades past. Brazil's exuberant performance at this World Cup, with Lula supporters Richarlison and coach Tite at the forefront, brings good tidings for Lula and the Workers' Party as they return to power and reclaim the national jersey - and the nation itself - from the dark forces of Bolsonaro and the far right. They go into the quarterfinal against Croatia, notorious for the extreme and persistent racism of their fan base, but whose team played an excellent and more evenly matched game against Japan (the first to go to penalties); and we ponder on the political juxtapositions that will be in play on Friday. Each of the Round of 16 matches has featured an underdog versus a traditional powerhouse, with the latter comprising all six of the teams now going into the quarterfinal. We evaluate the teams, as well as those competing in tomorrow's final matches of the Round of 16, on both sporting and political levels, and lay our hopes on Africa's last holdout, Morocco, as they replay the Battle of Ceuta on the soccer field against Spain. Today also marked the last match to be played in Stadium 974, Qatar's 'temporary' stadium built from shipping containers; and we reflect upon the country's notorious labor abuse and exploitation in the context of other world-scale exhibition events, as well as muse on the future of the World Cup in 2026 and beyond.
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