FOXBOROUGH, Massachusetts : Paraguay stunned four-time world champions Germany 4-3 on penalties on Monday to reach the World Cup last 16 after their Round of 32 tie ended 1-1 following extra time, handing the Germans their first-ever World Cup penalty shootout defeat.
Jose Canale converted the decisive spot kick to seal one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history and send Paraguay into a last-16 meeting with either France or Sweden.
Germany’s Kai Havertz, Nick Woltemade and Jonathan Tah all failed to convert in the shootout before Canale kept his composure to spark jubilant celebrations among the South Americans.
Germany had a Tah header ruled out in extra time after a VAR review, but their failure to turn first-half dominance into goals proved costly as Julian Nagelsmann’s side exited the tournament.
“We should not be blaming the referee or the penalty shootout today,” Germany captain Joshua Kimmich said. “If you cannot beat Paraguay over 120 minutes then you are deservedly eliminated. You should not depend on the opponents’ luck or no luck. You should have the quality in the squad to clearly beat this opponent.”
The victory was Paraguay’s biggest on the World Cup stage. Quarter-finalists in 2010, they returned to the tournament after missing the previous editions and produced a disciplined display to eliminate one of the pre-tournament favourites.
“I think the feeling we have is difficult to explain,” Paraguay captain Gustavo Gomez said. “I’m very proud of my teammates and of this group. Today was a match in which we had to be Paraguay more than ever.
“I think deep down Germany knew that if they wanted to beat us, they would have to sweat blood, because we were going to make defeat very, very expensive for them.”
Germany’s latest World Cup disappointment is likely to intensify scrutiny of Nagelsmann, who had publicly targeted a fifth world title after taking charge of the national team.
“I am disappointed. It was just not enough to beat this opponent,” Nagelsmann said. “The opponent scored once and we did not defend very well. We lost control of possession. We tried a lot of things but we should have scored earlier.
“If you are eliminated by Paraguay you are just not a first-class football team. I am very disappointed.”
Nagelsmann opted for an attacking lineup, handing tournament top scorer Deniz Undav his first start after the forward scored three goals and provided two assists during the group stage.
Germany dominated possession from the outset, with Undav testing the defence early, but Paraguay were content to sit deep and absorb pressure.
Despite completing 244 passes to Paraguay’s 31 by the 35th minute, Germany failed to register a shot on target in the first half.
Paraguay executed their game plan perfectly and stunned the favourites before halftime. Miguel Almiron, back from suspension, helped launch a swift attack down the right before Julio Enciso powered home a header to give his side the lead with Paraguay’s first-ever World Cup knockout-stage goal.
The small contingent of Paraguay supporters erupted in celebration as Germany’s fans fell silent, while the statistics underlined the Europeans’ frustration. No team had previously completed more than 253 additional passes than their opponents in a World Cup first half and still trailed at the break.
Germany levelled nine minutes after halftime when Florian Wirtz floated a cross into the penalty area and Havertz guided a glancing header into the net.
Tah thought he had won the match in the 102nd minute when he headed home from a corner, but the goal was ruled out after a lengthy VAR review for a foul on the goalkeeper.
Neither side found a breakthrough in the remainder of extra time, and Paraguay held their nerve in the shootout to complete a famous victory.
