Paraguay produced one of the biggest shocks of the World Cup by eliminating four-time champions Germany after a dramatic penalty shoot-out victory following a 1-1 draw in Boston, Softfootball reports.
Germany had never previously lost a World Cup penalty shoot-out, but their perfect record ended as Paraguay held firm for 120 minutes before José Canale converted the decisive spot-kick to send the South Americans into the last 16. Germany reached the knockout rounds after producing a match-winning performance against Ivory Coast.
Paraguay took the lead four minutes before half-time when Julio Enciso headed in Matías Galarza’s cross, despite Germany dominating possession. Julian Nagelsmann’s side struggled to create clear chances, going into the break without a shot on target despite controlling 78% of the ball.
The four-time champions thought they had completed the comeback when Jonathan Tah headed home in extra time, but VAR ruled the goal out for a controversial foul on goalkeeper Orlando Gill.
The match went to penalties, where Havertz and Nick Woltemade saw their efforts saved by Gill, while Jonathan Tah missed his decisive attempt. Canale then calmly converted to send Paraguay through to a last-16 meeting with either France or Sweden.
Paraguay’s defensive display was outstanding, with José Canale, Gustavo Gómez and goalkeeper Orlando Gill producing crucial performances to frustrate Germany’s attack. Germany finished with 21 shots and 75.6% possession but could not find the cutting edge needed to avoid an early exit.
Player Ratings
| Germany Player | Rating |
|---|---|
| Manuel Neuer | 6/10 |
| Joshua Kimmich | 5/10 |
| Jonathan Tah | 6/10 |
| Antonio Rüdiger | 6/10 |
| Nathaniel Brown | 5/10 |
| Felix Nmecha | 4/10 |
| Aleksandar Pavlovic | 4/10 |
| Leroy Sané | 3/10 |
| Deniz Undav | 3/10 |
| Florian Wirtz | 6.5/10 |
| Kai Havertz | 6/10 |
| Leon Goretzka | 5/10 |
| Jamal Musiala | 5/10 |
| Paraguay Player | Rating |
|---|---|
| Orlando Gill | 8 |
| Juan Jose Caceres | 7 |
| Gustavo Gomez | 8 |
| Jose Canale | 8 |
| Junior Alonso | 7 |
| Miguel Almiron | 7 |
| Andres Cubas | 6 |
| Damian Bobadilla | 6 |
| Matias Galarza | 7 |
| Julio Enciso | 8 |
| Gabriel Avalos | 6 |
| Gustavo Cabellaro | 7 |
| Mauricio | 7 |
| Gustavo Velazquez | 5 |
| Braian Ojeda | 5 |
| Antonio Sanabria | 6 |
Match Statistics
| Key Stats | Germany | Paraguay |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 75.6% | 24.4% |
| Shots | 21 | 7 |
| Shots on target | 6 | 3 |
| Big chances missed | 2 | 2 |
| Corners | 16 | 6 |
| Accurate passes | 725 | 160 |
| Passing accuracy | 90.1% | 62.7% |
| Yellow cards | 2 | 2 |
| Red cards | 0 | 0 |
| Shots off target | 7 | 2 |
