For the first time in 12 years, Germany advanced to the knockout stage of the FIFA World Cup, only to suffer a humiliating exit in the opening round after losing on penalties to Paraguay—a first in their history.
Despite being overwhelming favorites, the German side under Julian Nagelsmann displayed an unusually sluggish and uninspired style of play. As expected, they dominated possession but moved the ball slowly and lacked any attacking creativity. This cautious approach backfired in the 41st minute when Ennisso headed in a cross from Galarza on the right flank to give Paraguay the lead.
The second half saw the introduction of Goretzka and Musiala, which sparked some improvement. Their tactical changes bore fruit in the 64th minute when Florian Wirtz delivered a precise cross from the left, allowing Kai Havertz to gently nod the ball into the bottom far corner, leveling the score at 1-1. Surprisingly, even this equalizer failed to ignite a more aggressive German performance. In extra time, Germany managed to score a second goal, but VAR intervened, disallowing the effort due to a foul by Waldemar Anton on the Paraguayan goalkeeper.
The penalty shootout began precariously for Germany, but Manuel Neuer kept them alive by saving Antonio Sanabria’s fifth penalty. However, this reprieve was short-lived. The very next penalty from Ta sailed over the stands, and José Canale sealed Nagelsmann’s team’s fate by missing the decisive spot-kick.
Paraguay secured their place in the round of 16, where they will face the winner of the France versus Sweden tie.
World Cup 2026
Germany 1-1 Paraguay (0-1), penalties 3-4
Goals: Ennisso 42 (0-1); Havertz 54 (1-1)
Germany: Neuer; Braun; Rüdiger (Tiav 110); Ta Jr.; Pavlovich Al. (Anton V. 79); Kimmich; Havertz; Wirtz (Amiri N. 110); Sané L. (Voltemade 88); Nmecha F.; Undav (Musiala 63)
Substitutions: Goretzka (46); Musiala (63); Anton V. (79); Voltemade (88); Amiri N. (110); Tiav (110)
Reserves: Baumann; Nübel; Gross; Uedraogo; Leveling; Stiller; Raum D.; Bayer M.
Yellow cards: Havertz 106; Musiala 115
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