Today in Essen, the round of 32 in the Socca World Cup provided an exhilarating day of small-sided football captivating the packed crowd at the Kennedyplatz arena. The matches were filled with daring comebacks, surprising upsets, and controversial moments.

The day kicked off with a stunning performance by Mexico, as they defeated Spain with a resounding 6-0 victory. The goals were scored by B. Ochoa in the 3rd and 27th minutes, G. Meza in the 24th minute, J. Pulido in the 25th and 36th minutes, and B. Hernandez in the 39th minute.

Following that, France secured a 3-0 win over Romania, with Manias scoring a brace to lead his team to victory. Greece also triumphed with a 2-0 win over Portugal, thanks to a goal from Zelekou. Meanwhile, Egypt stunned England with a dominant 4-0 win, featuring goals from a couple of goals from  Abdallah.

The remaining games provided ample drama as well. Kazakhstan narrowly defeated Moldova in a tight contest, ultimately requiring socca penalties to decide the winner. In a thrilling encounter, Cyprus emerged victorious over Lithuania by a scoreline of 4-3, in what can be described as a true classic. Lastly, Belgium secured their spot in the quarterfinals by defeating Turkey, with a last-minute goal from Akrouh.

In the final game of the round, the USA saw off a spirited Latvia 2-0, the second goal from Irving Garcia coming with just seconds left as Latvia had left themselves with no goalkeeper, chasing the leveller. 

As the round of 16 gets underway tonight, we have some exciting matches to look forward to:

17:40 – Poland vs. Brazil
18:45 – Ukraine vs. Morocco
19:50 – China vs. Slovenia
20:55 – Germany vs. Croatia

To catch all the action live, make sure to visit: https://soccafederation.com/competition/2023-world-cup-germany/.