The Round of 16 is here and if Friday’s games were any indication, the knockout stage might need a jolt of actual entertainment. France and Morocco both advanced in matches that were, let’s be honest, hard to sit through if you didn’t have a dog in the fight. So Sunday’s doubleheader feels like a gift. Brazil versus Norway in the early window. Then Mexico against England under the lights in Mexico City. That’s four teams with real star power and real flaws.
Brazil vs. Norway — 4 pm ET, FOX and Telemundo
Brazil looked dead in the water against Japan. Down a goal. Flat. Then Carlo Ancelotti did something that felt both obvious and brave. He pulled Lucas Paqueta at halftime and threw in 19-year-old Endrick. Suddenly Brazil had no brake pedal. They scored twice and won the game, but more importantly they looked like Brazil again. Chaotic. Fast. A little reckless. It worked.
Ancelotti is still figuring this team out — he’s only been in charge for 17 matches — and that’s weird to say about a guy with five Champions League trophies. But he’s learning on the job here. What he should have learned against Japan is that this Brazil team is better when they’re all gas. If he keeps Endrick in the lineup and tells the front four to just go, this team can absolutely win the whole thing.
The problem is Norway has Erling Haaland. Brazil is better at almost every position in this matchup except the one that matters most. Haaland is a freak. He can score from anywhere, with either foot, with his head, off a deflection, off nothing. Norway will need at least one goal from him to have a chance. Martin Odegaard is the other wild card but he’s been inconsistent for months now. This game sits on Haaland’s shoulders. If he has another quiet night like he did against Ivory Coast, Norway’s done.
Mexico vs. England — 8 pm ET, FOX and Telemundo
England was staring at a penalty shootout against DR Congo when Thomas Tuchel made a weird, gutsy move. With no right back playing well — not keeping up with Congo’s wingers, not creating anything going forward — he slid Declan Rice back from defensive midfield to right back. And it completely flipped the game. Rice locked down the wing defensively and started the sequence that led to Harry Kane’s first goal.
But here’s the thing. After less than a half at that position, Rice was gassed. You could see it. So now Tuchel has a decision to make against Mexico. Does he start Rice at right back? Does he only use it as an emergency switch? Does he change the whole formation? The answer might decide the game. Mexico is fast and aggressive at home and they’ll attack whatever weakness England shows.
England has more talent on paper but that hasn’t mattered much in big games for years. This feels like a genuine crossroads for Tuchel’s project. If Rice stays in midfield and England’s right side gets exposed again, Mexico can absolutely win. But if Tuchel found something real with that adjustment, England might finally have the flexibility to adapt in real time. We’ll find out Sunday night.
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