Wednesday’s World Cup action delivered drama, tension and no shortage of goals as Groups A, B and C brought their group stage campaigns to a close. By the end of the night, several nations had sealed their places in the Round of 32, while others were left sweating on their fate.

The evening’s most complete performance came from Brazil, who dismantled Scotland 3-0 at a sun-soaked Miami to finish top of Group C on goal difference. The Seleção were in ruthless mood from the off, with Vinicius Junior the undisputed star of the show. The Real Madrid winger bagged a brace — the first coming after a catastrophic error by Scotland goalkeeper Angus Gunn, who passed the ball directly into the path of the Brazilian forward, leaving him with an open goal. Vinicius did not need a second invitation. He added his second with a composed finish after being played in one-on-one with Gunn, dancing away in celebration each time.

Matheus Cunha, starting in place of Igor Thiago, added Brazil’s second with a stunning finish after initially prodding them ahead in scrappy fashion. Brazil dominated possession and created chance after chance, and the scoreline could well have been heavier had they pushed harder in the second half. The result confirmed Carlo Ancelotti’s side at the summit of Group C, and they will be considered serious contenders as the knockout rounds get underway.

For Scotland, the defeat is a damaging one. Their minus-three goal difference leaves them in a precarious position in the race to qualify as one of the eight best third-placed teams. It is a painful end to what had been a promising group stage run for a nation returning to the World Cup for the first time since 1998.

If Brazil were composed, Morocco were anything but at least initially. The Atlas Lions were made to work extremely hard for their 4-2 victory over a gutsy Haiti side in Atlanta, in what turned out to be one of the most entertaining matches of the group stage.

Haiti, already eliminated heading into the game, showed tremendous spirit and shocked Morocco by taking an early lead through a smart move down the right flank, finished with a touch of fortune. Morocco levelled through Achraf Hakimi, who pounced on a rebound from point-blank range, but Haiti refused to lie down and went ahead again Frantzdy Isidor silencing the crowd with a stunning rocket from outside the box that left goalkeeper Yassine Bounou with no chance.

The game was in the balance at 2-2 heading into the second half, with Morocco at risk of finishing third and throwing the group wide open. But sharp substitutions from the coaching staff proved the difference. Ismael Saibari, ever a threat off the bench, levelled coolly from the top of the box and then added another in stoppage time to seal the win. Morocco ultimately dominated the second period with 69 percent possession and 11 shots on goal, running out worthy winners despite the early scare. They progress as Group C runners-up and will face the winner of Group F in the last 32.

In Group A, Mexico completed a flawless group campaign with a dominant 3-0 victory over Czechia at the iconic Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, finishing as group winners without dropping a single point across their three matches. Playing in front of a vociferous home crowd, El Tri gave a fluid, confident performance. Teenager Gilberto Mora was handed his first start of the tournament and impressed, while substitute Álvaro Fidalgo added gloss to the scoreline with a thunderous right-footed strike into the upper left corner in the third minute of stoppage time. Czechia, who needed a result to have any hope of advancing, found themselves unable to cope with Mexico’s pace and pressing and were comfortably outclassed from start to finish.

The most dramatic conclusion to the evening came at the Estadio BBVA in Monterrey, where South Africa delivered one of the biggest upsets of the tournament by beating South Korea 1-0 to snatch a place in the knockout rounds as a third-placed team. Bafana Bafana, who had begun the tournament with a 2-0 defeat to Mexico on the opening day, showed remarkable resilience and tactical discipline to shut out a South Korean side that grew increasingly desperate as the minutes ticked away.

South Africa held firm through six minutes of added time, with heads, bodies and every inch of commitment thrown on the line to preserve the lead. When the final whistle sounded, the scenes of celebration were extraordinary players collapsing to the turf and embracing in disbelief as they became the first African side of this World Cup to advance to the Round of 32. For South Korea, the defeat is a crushing one. They are eliminated, their tournament over with a loss in a game that, on paper, they were widely expected to win.

South Africa now await the conclusion of the other groups to find out who they will face in the next round, but on this evidence, Bafana Bafana will not fear anyone.