World Cup Rules Explained: When Could Brazil Face Argentina After Both Teams Advance in Qatar?

The World Cup Round of 16 continued in Qatar, and Brazil showed why they are one of the favorites with a one-sided demolition of South Korea. Neymar's return was good news for Brazil as they are setting up for a semifinal showdown with Lionel Messi and Argentina.

Argentina defeated Australia with a final tally of 2-1 and will be facing the Netherlands and a surging Cody Gakpo. Meanwhile, the Brazilians, fresh from their one-sided thrashing of South Korea, will face Croatia, which barely survived its run-in with Japan's Samurai Blue.

Based on their groupings, Neymar and Brazil could end up facing off against each other in the semifinals... if they manage to win, of course. Brazil and Argentina look very strong at the moment, but as this World Cup has already shown, surprises could happen, much like Saudi Arabia's shock win over Argentina.

Once teams reach the Group of 16, it is win or go home all the way to the finals, as from this point on, it will be all single elimination, where winners will advance to the quarterfinals.

This single-elimination format will continue happening until only one team remains and hoist that coveted World Cup trophy, according to Sporting News. This means that all teams who advance to the quarterfinals only need to win three times to win it all.

For the other quarterfinal matches, England continues their rivalry with France, while the winners of the Morocco-Spain match and the Portugal-Switzerland match would face each other.

Brazil Demolishes South Korea as Neymar Returns

The South Koreans were riding a high after upsetting Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal and making it to the Round of 16. However, that momentum came to a screeching halt when they faced Brazil, which saw their superstar, Neymar, finally return after injuring himself in their opener against Serbia.

In the first half alone, Brazil scored four goals. The ones who made it rain are Vinicius, Neymar, Richarlison, and Lucas Paqueta, the latter of whom is the odd one out by choosing to be called his complete name in a rather un-Brazilian fashion.

South Korea did manage to go home with their heads held high, as CNN reported that Seung-Ho Paik managed to score a goal over that stifling Brazilian defense. Brazil, on the other hand, paid tribute to the man regarded as the Michael Jordan of soccer, Pele, who was recently admitted to a hospital in Sao Paulo.

Croatia Survives Samurai Blue in a Penalty Shootout

Brazil will be facing Croatia next, as the Croatians managed to stave off Japan. The match ended 1-1, but since the Round of 16 follows a single elimination, the one to go through the quarterfinal showdown against Brazil is decided via a penalty shootout.

In the end, Japan failed to convert any goal against the Croatians. BBC reported that it was goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic who played hero, saving a crucial penalty kick from Samurai Blue's Maya Yoshida. This allowed Mario Pasalic to score to make Croatia advance.

READ MORE: World Cup Rules Explained: Why Did Mexico Get Eliminated Despite Beating Saudi Arabia, Having the Same Points as Poland?

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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