On Monday, Paraguay eliminated Germany in the World Cup round of 32 after a 1-1 draw in a match in which they defended fiercely and went all in on a penalty shootout (3-4) that was a roller coaster ride, featuring two saves by Orlando Gill and center back José María Canale as the ultimate hero.
La Albirroja has thus avenged its elimination at the hands of Germany in the round of 16 of the 2002 World Cup, when Oliver Neuville sent Paraguay home in the 88th minute. Gustavo Alfaro’s team now awaits its opponent in the round of 16, which will be determined by Tuesday’s match between France and Sweden in New York.
Paraguay held off the onslaught and thwarted Germany
Alfaro had already pointed out in the pre-game interview that having possession was important, but knowing how to defend was even more so.
Júnior Alonso had the first scoring chance of the game in the second minute.
The Paraguayan center back took a rushed shot off a corner kick, but Manuel Neuer deflected the ball with one hand.
The goalkeeper also became the German player with the most World Cup appearances (23), surpassing Lothar Matthäus and Miroslav Klose.
It was a real mirage.
Paraguay came out and sat back, focusing on defending with order and discipline.
Germany dominated possession in the first half (79% possession and 305 passes compared to their opponent’s 54).
But he was unable to capitalize on that dominance, failing to pose any threat to Orlando Gill.
Germany also resorted to fouls to thwart every counterattack attempt by the Albirroja.
Almost always led by Miguel Almirón, who returned to the starting lineup after serving a one-game suspension for being sent off after covering his mouth with his hand during the group stage match against Turkey (Filed under: Paraguay eliminates Germany in a penalty shootout).
Enciso dealt Germany a fatal blow
Paraguay’s only option was a counterattack or a strategic play.
And that’s exactly how the 0-1 came about, in the 42nd minute:
Almirón took a corner kick very close to the goal, and Neuer chose to punch it away rather than catch it.
Florian Wirtz sprinted to win the ball and launch the counterattack, but a timely sliding tackle by Damián Bobadilla, the defensive midfielder, thwarted the play.
The rebound went to Juan José Cáceres, who passed it back to Almirón.
The Paraguayan then passed the ball out to the right wing to Matías Galarza.
His cross found Julio Enciso completely unmarked, and he headed the ball easily past Neuer into the far post.
It was Paraguay’s second shot on goal of the entire match, following Júnior Alonso’s attempt in the second minute.
Germany, on the other hand, had not yet had a shot on goal.
The score remained 0-1 at halftime. The Guaraní revenge was beginning to take shape (Filed under: Paraguay eliminates Germany in a penalty shootout).
Germany Reacts
Julian Nagelsmann brought on Leon Goretzka at halftime, and in less than ten minutes, Germany managed to tie the game on a cross from Joshua Kimmich that Kai Havertz headed into the back of the net.
One of the great strengths of the Arsenal forward, who scored the 1-1 goal.
But it was an isolated play by Germany, which didn’t have another clear chance like that until the 77th minute.
Same play: Kimmich sent in a cross that Havertz headed toward the goal, but this time San Lorenzo goalkeeper Orlando Gill made a great save.
Germany threw everything they had at it in the final minutes, but couldn’t prevent the 1-1 draw and the first extra time of the 2026 World Cup.
In the 102nd minute, Germany came close to securing a spot in the round of 16.
Jonathan Tah headed in a corner kick taken by Nathanael Brown at the far post, sparking celebrations among the German fans.
But just as Paraguay was about to take the kickoff, VAR called on Moroccan referee Jalal Jayed to review the play (Filed under: Paraguay eliminates Germany in a penalty shootout).
VAR, Gill, and Canale sealed Paraguay’s victory
On the monitor, Jayed saw that Waldemar Anton had obstructed Orlando Gill, preventing him from defending his goal. The goal was disallowed.
Paraguay pulled off a heroic feat to withstand the German onslaught.
Germany controlled the ball until the very end, but despite their dominance, they managed only six shots on goal in 120 minutes.
The match was headed for a penalty shootout.
Paraguay had its fans on the edge of their seats after squandering a two-goal lead in the penalty shootout.
Including Fabián Balbuena, who had come on just for this, after Gill had stopped two German shots.
But in that do-or-die moment, Jonathan Tah sent the ball soaring into the stands for Germany, and Canale secured the Albirroja’s spot in the round of 16 (Filed under: Paraguay eliminates Germany in a penalty shootout).
Paraguay will face the winner of the match between France and Sweden
NuevaOnda.com
Technical Specifications
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1. Germany: Manuel Neuer; Joshua Kimmich, Jonathan Tah (Malick Thiaw, 110′), Antonio Rüdiger, Nathanael Brown; Felix Nmecha (Leon Goretzka, 46′), Aleksandar Pavlovic (Waldemar Anton, 79′); Leroy Sané (Nick Woltemade, 88′), Florian Wirtz (Nadiem Amiri, 110′); Kai Havertz and Deniz Undav (Jamal Musiala, 63′).
Head Coach: Julian Nagelsmann.
1. Paraguay: Orlando Gill; Juan José Cáceres (Braian Ojeda, 99′), Gustavo Gómez, José María Canale, Júnior Alonso (Fabián Balbuena, 120+2′); Andrés Cubas, Damián Bobadilla (Antonio Sanabria, 99′), Matías Galarza, Miguel Almirón (Gustavo Velázquez, 91′), Julio Enciso (Mauricio, 57′); and Gabriel Ávalos (Gustavo Caballero, 55′).
Coach: Gustavo Alfaro.
Goals: 0-1, 42′: Julio Enciso. 1-1, 54′: Kai Havertz.
Penalties: 0-0: Havertz, saved by Gill. 0-1: Mauricio, goal. 1-1: Kimmich, goal. 1-2: Gustavo Gómez, goal. 2-2: Musiala, goal. 2-3: Galarza, goal. 2-3: Woltemade, saved by Gill. 2-3: Sanabria: miss. 3-3: Amiri, goal. 3-3: Balbuena, miss. 3-3: Tah, miss. 3-4: Canale, goal.
Referee: Jalal Jayed (Morocco). He issued yellow cards to the German players Kai Havertz and Jamal Musiala and to the Paraguayan players Andrés Cubas and Matías Galarza. He also issued yellow cards to both head coaches.
Match Details: Round of 32 match of the 2026 World Cup played at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, near Boston (United States), in front of 63,945 spectators (Filed under: Paraguay eliminates Germany in a penalty shootout).
With information from EFE
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