Paraguay pulled off a sensational upset by eliminating Germany in the Round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup
The German national team was unexpectedly eliminated from the 2026 World Cup after losing to Paraguay in a penalty shootout in the round of 16. The victory allowed Paraguay to advance to the next round of the tournament.
The match got off to a very lively start, with Paraguay creating the first real scoring chance. In the second minute, following a corner kick, Junior Alonso took a dangerous header from close range, but Manuel Neuer showed superb reflexes and saved Germany. Gradually, the Germans took control and had more possession, but their attacks often ended with off-target shots or turnovers. Deniz Undav came closest to scoring, narrowly missing the top corner from the center of the penalty area.
Despite Germany’s dominance, it was Paraguay that opened the scoring late in the first half. Following a counterattack, Matías Galarza delivered a precise cross from the right flank, and Julio Enciso, left unmarked in the center of the penalty area, headed the ball into the net. Julian Nagelsmann’s team was unable to find an answer before halftime, so the teams went into the break with the South Americans holding a narrow lead.
At the start of the second half, Germany played much more aggressively. Meanwhile, Paraguay had a chance to double their lead, but after a defensive error, Enciso failed to beat Neuer, who made yet another brilliant save. Just a few minutes later, the Germans equalized: Florian Wirtz delivered a precise cross from the left flank, and Kai Havertz skillfully headed the ball into the far corner.
After that, Germany completely took control of the game and began to put pressure on their opponents. The Paraguayans barely ventured out of their own half, forced to constantly fend off numerous attacks. The defenders repeatedly blocked dangerous shots, and after one set piece, Gómez fired wide of the goal. The best chance to snatch a victory came in the 78th minute, when Havertz again delivered a dangerous header, but goalkeeper Orlando Gill made an incredible save, diving to pull the ball out of the very corner of the net.
In the final minutes of regulation time, Germany continued to attack, earning promising free kicks and putting pressure on the opponent’s penalty area, but Paraguay’s defense withstood the final onslaught. The hosts also claimed a penalty following a challenge involving Goretzka, but the referee did not see a foul. As a result, the match ended in a hard-fought 1–1 draw, and we were in for the first extra time of this World Cup.
Right at the start of extra time, the Germans created several dangerous chances: a series of long-range shots was blocked, goalkeeper Orlando Gil made confident saves on set pieces, and Voltemade and Ta were unable to finish their attacks properly. However, in the 102nd minute, the pressure finally paid off. After a corner kick taken by Brown, Jonathan Ta won an aerial duel and headed the ball under the crossbar, seemingly putting Germany ahead.
However, the celebration proved premature: the referee went to review the play using VAR and, after checking, disallowed the goal due to a foul in the penalty area. While the review was underway, the head coaches of both teams received yellow cards for their overly emotional reactions.
Despite the psychological blow, the Germans did not stop attacking. In stoppage time before the first extra time period, Kai Havertz had a dangerous header off another cross, but Orlando Gil once again showed brilliant reflexes and saved Paraguay, keeping the score level heading into the second half of extra time.
In the second extra time period, Germany continued to search for the winning goal, although Paraguay responded with dangerous set pieces. Early in the period, the Germans had to clear the ball several times after crosses from their opponents, after which play shifted back to the Paraguayan penalty area.
In the 111th minute, Joshua Kimmich nearly caught Orlando Hila off guard, almost curling the ball into the net with a direct shot from a corner kick, but the goalkeeper made a diving save to keep his team in the game. The Germans kept up the pressure, but their attacks lacked precision in the final third.
The tension on the field only grew. Jamal Musiala received a yellow card for a rough foul, and shortly afterward, Matias Galarza was also cautioned for a hard tackle. Julian Nagelsmann tried to inject some fresh energy into the game with substitutions, bringing on fresh players for the final minutes.
Germany created its best chance to snatch a victory before the penalty shootout in the 119th minute. Following a corner kick, Waldemar Anton headed the ball from point-blank range, but Orlando Gil once again made a flawless save, blocking the shot. In stoppage time, Amiri took a dangerous free kick, but the ball struck only the outside of the net, so the winner would be decided in a penalty shootout.
The penalty shootout began with a clever trick by the national team’s goalkeeper. He delayed the start of the shootout by carrying a towel and a bottle to the sideline, thereby throwing Kai Havertz off his rhythm. Havertz took a shot that was obvious to the goalkeeper and failed to open the scoring in the shootout. Mauricio, on the other hand, scored, even though Manuel Neuer guessed the direction correctly.
The next attempts were identical for the captains of both teams: both Joshua Kimmich and Gustavo Gómez fooled the goalkeepers and sent the ball into different corners. Jamal Musiala and Matías Galarza also scored their attempts.
A mistake by Nick Voltemade could have proved fatal for Germany; he took a low shot but failed to find the net. However, Antonio Sanarbia spared his opponents when his shot hit the post. The next round evened the score: Nadim Amiri confidently converted his penalty kick, while Manuel Neuer managed to save Fabián Balbuena’s attempt, leaving the score at 3–3.
But the unluckiest player of the match against Paraguay was Jonathan Ta. After having a goal disallowed in regulation time, his nerves got the better of him, causing him to shoot over the goal. Paraguay capitalized on this mistake and knocked the German national team out of the tournament!
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