1 min Peep peep! Paraguay kick off from left to right, as we watch, and and within 20 seconds Julio Enciso has a hopeful shot deflected behind for a corner.

“Hiya Rob,” writes James Humphries. “Unclear to me whether this is, in reportage terms, after or before the lord mayor’s show; still, who’d you annoy to get landed with this? (Probably don’t answer that.) C’mon... Paraguay, I guess? Jeezo, difficult to shake a leg for this one.”

Oh, I was happy for Tim to have first pick. Mainly because I owe my career to him, but also because it meant I could watch Richard Osman’s House of Games.

The players walk out on a searing afternoon at Boston Stadium. Thank goodness for those humane hydration breaks.

Tonight’s winners will face France or Sweden, who meet tomorrow

Match report: Brazil 2-1 Japan

Not for the first time in this tournament, there were long periods when Brazil did not impress. And not for the first time in this tournament, they got away with it. It may be inexplicable but the Carlo Ancelotti method that worked at Real Madrid is working again: stay in games and eventually either opponents will make a mistake or brilliant players will do something brilliant.

Brazil were 1-0 down at half-time and struggling. Their earliest ever exit form a World Cup seemed entirely possible. Five players in the Brazil starting lineup were aged over 30, five of the six most defensive players – and they looked it. Japan were quicker, slicker, sharper and more imaginative. But the introduction of Endrick and a change of shape and approach at half-time changed everything. Brazil started slinging crosses into the box and Japan wobbled. Casemiro, barely a pedestrian in the first half, headed the equaliser and, deep into injury time, Gabriel Martinelli squeezed in the winner.

“Good evening Rob,” says Krishnamoorthy V. “What is better for Germany? Lose today and blame the officials or the pitch /VAR. or prevail today and get marauded by a tank with a Rolls Royce engine aka Mbappe as reward?”

I think they have a third option in mind.

“Anyone who was around in 2002 will remember that year’s Germany-Paraguay as probably the worst match of that tournament,” says Peter Goldstein. “I think this one will be better, if only because Germany have more good attackers at their disposal this time. But I’ll be very surprised if Paraguay add much to the match excitement-wise.”

In fairness, the winning goal was a beauty, and not only because it saved us all from extra-time.

“I’m extremely disappointed,” begins Kiera Healy, and for once that overused phrase is justified, “that we’ve had four Germany games without mentioning Die Mannschaft’s finest moment from the last World Cup on US soil.

“The tradition of forcing players into awkward backing vocals on cheesy songs really needs to be resurrected.”

They looked a lot more comfortable singing Three Lions after winning Euro 96.

Ian Sargeant writes in

Greetings from Turkey Rob. Just chilling over some post-dinner cocktails. My 25% German son is resplendent in his Germany shirt making his much missed grandmother proud I’m sure. Paraguay 1986? Alvin Martin’s only start in that campaign. Had he played the following game in stead of Terry Fenwick, would Stretch have got close enough to Maradona to stop Diego’s second? Trying to stop Alan Devonshire in club training every day would have been helpful...

I love the Royal Tenenbaumsish description of your son. (Please take that in the spirit in which it was intended.)

And no, Stretch wouldn’t have got any closer – but he might not have been on a yellow card for gratutious violence, which would have given him the option of taking Maradona out and stopping the second goal.

There’s a tragic backdrop to today’s game: six people have been killed at a youth welfare facility in Stade, Germany. Beyond the sympathy that shouldn’t need to be expressed, it’s hard to know what else to say.

The Chloe Kelly Paradox is one of the features of this World Cup. Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli, one of the world’s best substitutes, has just scored an injury-time winner for Brazil against Japan.

Paraguay haven’t scored a goal in five World Cup knockout games. Statistics never lie, but they can be economical with the truth and Paraguay have troubled some very good teams.

The eventual winners France needed the World Cup’s first Golden Goal to beat them in 1998; the finalists Germany needed a superb late winner from the unsung Oliver Neuville in 2002.

In 2010, after beating Japan on penalties following a 0-0 draw, they gave Spain a sizeable scare. Even in 1986, when they lost handsomely to good old England, they had chances to take the lead.