The 2026 FIFA World Cup turned in its first stunning knockout stage result as Paraguay defeated four-time champions Germany in a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw over 120 minutes. For the first time ever, Germany has been eliminated at the World Cup in a penalty shootout. For the second time ever, Paraguay has won a World Cup knockout game. The biggest story in this game, of course, was just how well Paraguay defended over 120 minutes. With excellent commitment and communication, Paraguay’s defense was near impenetrable. On the one occasion Germany found the back of the net, Paraguay did not get down and let the dam burst. It kept up its game plan and got into the shootout. For Paraguay, it will likely need an even stronger defensive effort as France might be its next opponent (if Les Bleus get past Sweden). For Germany, it is soul-searching after a third straight World Cup disappointment. Here are five takeaways from the match: 1. Gill The Hero In A Massive Upset Orlando Gill, 26, will go down as the biggest player in Paraguay’s historic win over Germany. Gill has never played for a club outside of Paraguay, and this was only his 10th cap for the national team. He made six saves and then two in the shootout to stun Germany. Whenever Germany tested him, he had the answer. The shootout was full of drama as Gill made two big saves to give Paraguay two chances in the fourth and fifth rounds to win it. When Paraguay failed in those two attempts, it was given a third shot at a winner when Jonathan Tah shot way over the bar. José Canale then converted to send Paraguay off to the round of 16. 2. Paraguay’s Defensive Shape Coming into this game, everyone knew Paraguay was going to sit back and defend. Since Gio Reyna scored a goal in the final minutes of its 4-1 loss to the United States, Paraguay’s defense has been outstanding. First, there was the 1-0 win over Türkiye, where Paraguay had to play the entire second half down a man. Then there was the 0-0 draw with Australia, where Gustavo Alfaro’s team made no defensive mistakes and did enough to advance out of group play despite the poor start. This was a completely different test to go against four-time champions Germany. From the start, Alfaro had his team in a tight and compact 4-4-2 formation that sat deep, with 11 players typically behind the ball. Germany had very little space to work up the middle. This was not simply about bunkering or parking the bus. In the first half, Paraguay showed a lot of intelligence in how well it defended. Depending on where Germany was, certain players would step up to defend while others kept shape. Then the players would switch and get back into shape. There was little space between the midfield line and the backline, and this gave Germany no room to attack through the middle. Paraguay frequently allowed Germany to have the ball in the wide areas and took a gamble that Germany would not be able to quickly switch the point of attack with long passes or be able to dribble through a maze of Paraguayan defenders. For most of the game, it worked. Paraguay knew this was going to make things difficult offensively because whenever La Albirroja began a possession, its players were all deep and close together. The initial passes were often not there, and that resulted in many possessions that were quickly lost. But that was a tradeoff Paraguay was willing to make to defend well through its shape, which it only reluctantly broke. The only mistake Paraguay made defensively was when Germany equalized in the 54th minute. On the play, Florian Wirtz sent a ball into the box, and it found the head of Kai Havertz, who flicked it on into the goal. It was a rare mistake from Paraguay, whose defenders were slow to switch off when the ball was delivered. Aside from that, it was 120 minutes of near-perfect defense. 3. Paraguay’s Goal Exposed Germany In the first half, Paraguay’s game plan was working to perfection. Germany was frustrated offensively, and Paraguay was able to pounce on one of its very few opportunities. It began with Damián Bobadilla winning the ball deep in the attacking half. He then played the ball to Miguel Amiron on the right side. Almiron then advanced the ball to his Atlanta United club teammate Matías Galarza, who skillfully cut in from the right wing. Galarza then found a streaking Julio Enciso, who headed past a helpless Manuel Neuer. Germany showed its vulnerability on this play as it was not careful with the ball in the middle of the field and was slow to shift into a defensive formation, which allowed Enciso to move into the middle. Alfaro deserves a lot of credit for his decisions. Bobadilla’s tournament began terribly as he committed an own goal in the loss to the United States. But then, he played the second half as Paraguay fought for a win while down a man. In this game, Bobadilla returned to the starting lineup and was excellent defensively and his defensive effort created the goal. Meanwhile, Galarza continued to be Paraguay’s best player on both sides of the ball. His defensive work rate was excellent and, once again, he came up with a big play. First, it was the goal against Turkiye; this time it was an assist against Germany. 4. VAR Decision Will Loom By now, everyone has their opinion of VAR. But the 105th-minute decision will be talked about for a long time. Jonathan Tah headed home a corner delivered by Nathaniel Brown, but VAR ultimately determined that Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill was blocked by Waldemar Anton. There was contact on Gill, but it did not seem anything beyond what normally happens on crowded set-piece deliveries into the box. For German players, officials, and fans, this VAR decision will be talked about for a long, long time. 5. Soul-Searching For Germany Losses happen. Upsets happen. Every team will lose, and every good team will eventually be beaten. For Germany, however, the pattern has been established that this team is not one of the elite teams in the world. Following its 2014 World Cup triumph, Germany did not get out of the group stages in 2018 and 2022. Is elimination in the round of 32 any better? The recent Euros have only been marginally better, with the team suffering elimination in the round of 16 in 2021 and the quarterfinals in 2024. At no point since 2014 has Germany been close to winning a major tournament. This loss is going to continue the ongoing soul-searching in the federation. There will be the usual discussion points whether Julian Nagelsmann is the right coach. But there will be broader questions on important topics such as player development within the federation and within the country’s top league, the Bundesliga. This is a painful loss for Germany and one that could force change within its federation.Latest Sports News from FOX Sports
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