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Paraguay knocks out Germany in World Cup penalty shootout

By Chioma Eze· 30 Jun 2026(updated 25m ago)· 3 min read· 👁 23 views
Paraguay knocks out Germany in World Cup penalty shootout
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Germany was eliminated from the World Cup by Paraguay in the round of 32 after losing 4-3 on penalties. This happened after both teams drew 1-1 on Monday in Foxborough.

This is the first time Germany has ever lost a penalty shootout in World Cup history.

Julio Enciso put Paraguay ahead with a header before halftime. But Kai Havertz equalized for Germany in the 54th minute, scoring his third goal of the tournament.

In extra time, Jonathan Tah had a goal disallowed after a VAR check. Paraguay then held on to win in a tense penalty shootout where the lead shifted back and forth.

Paraguay's goalkeeper Orlando Gill saved penalties from Havertz and Nick Woltemade. But some of his teammates missed chances to finish the game before Jose Canale scored the winning penalty after Tah had shot over the bar.

This loss means another early exit for Germany, who last played in the knockout stage after winning the World Cup in 2014.

Paraguay celebrated this major victory, but they now face a tough match against France, if France beats Sweden.

Gill said the win was “an immense thrill.”

“We managed to hold on. We opened the scoring, they equalized, but then we managed to keep it up. Obviously, we analyzed every player and every detail of the penalty takers,” he said.

“Thank God I was able to save two penalties. This is a privilege; we eliminated a champion. This is dedicated to all Paraguayans.”

Julian Nagelsmann gave Deniz Undav his first start of the tournament after Undav scored three goals in the first two games. He replaced Jamal Musiala as Nathaniel Brown returned at left-back after missing the game against Ecuador due to a minor injury.

Miguel Almiron returned to the Paraguay team after serving a one-match ban for covering his mouth during a confrontation, which is against new FIFA rules.

Paraguay's coach Gustavo Alfaro told his players to seize this chance, and they almost scored just a minute into the match.

Junior Alonso had a chance at the back post from a corner but could not beat Manuel Neuer.

Germany's 7-1 win over Curaçao in their first game showed their attacking strength. But it also masked their struggles in front of goal at times.

Undav missed a chance as Germany found it hard to break through Paraguay's strong defense. They lost their shape before halftime, which allowed Enciso to score with a header.

After Neuer cleared a corner, Paraguay worked the ball to Matias Galarza on the right. He sent in a cross that found a completely unmarked Enciso, who scored.

This was Paraguay's first goal in the World Cup knockout stage, having not scored in their last five matches, including a 1-0 loss to Germany in the last 16 in 2002.

Germany brought on Leon Goretzka at halftime but nearly fell behind again when Joshua Kimmich's poor backpass forced Neuer to rush out and stop Enciso.

Germany finally broke through Paraguay's defense when Florian Wirtz crossed from the left, and Havertz headed it into the corner to calm Germany's nerves.

Paraguay lost Enciso to injury, which affected their attack.

Gill made a fantastic save to keep out Havertz's header from another Wirtz cross, and Paraguay held firm to take the match into extra time.

Tah thought he had put Germany ahead with a powerful header from a corner, but a VAR review disallowed the goal for a foul on the goalkeeper.

Anton headed straight at Gill from another corner, but Paraguay defended well and stayed calm to pull off a huge upset in the World Cup.

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Chioma Eze

Founder & EIC. Lagos-based.

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