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World Cup 2018: Belgium Shocks Japan With Stunning Rally

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By  TARIQ PANJA JULY 2, 2018 Photo ROSTOV-ON-DON, Russia — Belgium arrived at the World Cup as dark horses, bringing both a roster bulging with talent and question marks about its mental toughness. Could this be the group to power through the knockout rounds and avoid falling by the wayside like the talented yet ultimately doomed Belgian teams of past World Cups? The Belgians went a long way in answering those doubts on Monday with a stirring, come-from-behind, 3-2 victory, the likes of which haven’t been seen at the knockout stage of the World Cup for almost 50 years. The electrifying comeback, featuring five second-half goals capped by a 94th-minute winner, sent Belgium to a quarterfinal matchup against the five-time World Cup champion Brazil in Kazan on Friday. Belgium     Japan Round of 16 Midway through the second half, though, it looked like Belgium’s next destination would be home. The Belgians trailed by 2-0 against J...
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Brazil has too much showtime for Mexico at World Cup, regardless of cries of bad acting

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By  Chuck Culpepper  and  Cindy Boren July 2 at 3:31 PM Email the author With an assist from Neymar, Roberto Firmino finds the net. (Dan Mullan/Getty Images) SAMARA, Russia — The Mexico fans who begin the remorseless slog home after a  seventh  straight  World Cup  round-of-16 loss do have this to counterbalance their forlornness: They can know both that they electrified this World Cup with their presence and that their 2-0 loss to Brazil on Monday spared them any long swim in the seas of what-if. Unlike with their other round-of-16 losses — to Bulgaria in 1994, Germany in 1998, the United States in 2002, Argentina in 2006 and 2010, and the Netherlands in 2014 — this one owed to something elemental and clear. With both goals and so many other occasions across the 96 minutes, it owed to the extra quality that characterizes Brazil, that sees Brazil’s starting 11 sparkle with eight players who appeared in the European Champions League knockout ...
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