World Cup round of 32: Is it Vinicius Juniors time to shine for Brazil? Germany's Joshua Kimmich dilemma

With all due respect to Canada and South Africa -- which is not a lot after the cure for insomnia they served up in Inglewood -- Monday feels like the day when the knockout stages of the World Cup really begin. Three games and in those a host of heavy hitters. In the headline slot, the Netherlands look to avoid the fate meted out on Spain and Portugal in 2022, defeat to Morocco, and build on what has proven to be a rather impressive group stage campaign.

Before that, Germany should be looking at their game against Paraguay as an opportunity to flex their muscles, Julian Nagelsmann's men surely big favorites against a side who finished third in an underpowered Group D. It is with the opening game of the day that we begin however. Brazil against Japan has the makings of a real cracker, a tricky test for the five-time champions but one that a team with serious aspirations to win this tournament should negotiate well. And those aspirations only grow stronger when their No.7 is in his current form.

Vinicius Junior's moment

Prior to this tournament, Brazil had not really seen the best of Vinicius Junior in their colors. Nine goals in 49 games was a meagre return for a player who operates at two in five, at least, for Real Madrid. If there was a justification for the curious intensity with which so many clamored for the return of an aged Neymar, it was that this was a player who had lit up the biggest stages for the Selecao. 

At the 2022 World Cup, Vinicius only scored in a drubbing of South Korea. At the subsequent Copa America too, it was a brace of goals against Paraguay that someone else probably would have gotten anyway. For those of us who primarily saw Vinicius with Carlo Ancelotti's Real Madrid, it was hard to fathom. He was as clutch as anyone in the world for a time, the talisman for the only club side where expectations match Brazil.

Perhaps having the coach who brought him to prominence at Madrid in the dugout has brought the best out of Vinicius at club level. Undoubtedly they click on a personal level, and Ancelotti now finds himself obliged to furnish his No.7 with a gift after losing a bet over whether Vinicius could score a header as he did against Scotland. More than just mind games and good vibes, the Brazil head coach has delivered a system in the last two games that (against the limited opposition of Haiti and Scotland) gives his star forward a platform to excel. Matheus Cunha operates as more of a false nine, dropping into midfield and drawing defenders out of position, creating space for Vinicius to isolate his defenders.

He is using that to devastating effect, typified when he darted in behind the Haitian defense to meet Lucas Paqueta's ball over the top and score his side's third. That performance was a mere amuse-bouche for what happened against Scotland, where he scored twice from a tally of 3.07 expected goals. 

In that match alone, Vinicius put up more xG than anyone else has across the whole tournament. That a great deal of that came from punishing Scottish sloppiness at the back is not a problem either. It was notable how bought into the pack hunting Vinicius was at Hard Rock Stadium. He may never be a winger to drop back and help his fullback, but if he can be a threat when opponents are trying to build up, that is more than enough.

And so Vinicius stands on the cusp of history. If Brazil's tournament were to end today, as it might against a very dangerous Japan outfit, then we would be talking about him in four years' time as we did four paragraphs ago, a player who has only scored the sort of big tournament goals that someone else would probably have got anyway. His form suggests that this is the moment where the story changes, where he matches Neymar in Brazilian hearts. He must still bend the big international games to his will to be one of his country's greats. Never has he looked more ready for that mission.

Time to move Kimmich?

Though defeat to Ecuador can probably be written off as one of those games where their opponents just wanted it more, there was a flash of concern in the difficulties Nilson Angulo gave Joshua Kimmich, the once-and-again right back who has long since been fully converted into a central midfielder by Bayern Munich. As Ecuador's winger drove infield Kimmich dealt with danger rather as you'd expect a midfielder might, backing off and waiting for the moment to step in as Aleksandar Pavlovic covered on the blindside. It rather backfired.

FIRST GOAL OF THE 2026 FIFA WORLD CUP FOR ECUADOR 🇪🇨 Nilson Angulo equalizer from outside the box! pic.twitter.com/iTnSrgc9jy

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 25, 2026

Julian Nagelsmann certainly hasn't been making it easy for Kimmich. Whether it is David Raum or Nathaniel Brown in the position, Germany's left backs have been operating in more advanced areas, opening up space for Florian Wirtz inside. That means Kimmich operates almost like a third center back, the spot he found himself in for Angulo's goal.

Now, of course, there are benefits to fitting Kimmich in at right back. Germany have a right back who is completing nearly 14 passes into the attacking third and a similar number of progressive passes per 90 minutes. In a team that includes Wirtz, Jamal Musiala and Leroy Sane, Kimmich is the leading chance creator on eight. Against teams where Germany might expect to win -- or where losing is not terminal -- there is a case to be made for getting Kimmich in with two midfielders. In knockout matches, one Angulo-shaped mistake can carry a great deal more negative value than the positives Kimmich brings on the ball.

Perhaps this is the time to change. The slight problem? Germany didn't really bring a natural right back as an alternative option. Can Malick Thiaw do a job for longer than the half hour he played against Ecuador? One suspects we may not get an answer.