Forget fairytales — this was a full-blown football execution. Paraguay, ranked 41st in the world, walked into Foxborough against four-time World Cup winners Germany and did the unthinkable: they sent Die Mannschaft packing in the Round of 32, on penalties, in what’s already being called one of the greatest upsets in World Cup history.
Let that sink in. Germany. Out. In the round of 32. For the first time ever in a World Cup shootout, they lost.
A Sluggish Start That Cost Them Dearly
Germany came in as heavy favorites, ranked No. 10 in the world against a Paraguay side that hadn’t even reached this stage of a World Cup in sixteen years. But football doesn’t read rankings sheets. Paraguay controlled just 25% of possession — a number that would normally signal total domination from the other side — yet somehow matched Germany chance for chance.
It was Julio Enciso who made the difference first, rising to head home Matias Galarza’s cross in the 42nd minute. Half-time arrived with Germany looking flat, disjointed, and frankly outclassed by a team nobody gave a chance.
Havertz Drags Germany Level
To their credit, the Germans came out swinging after the break. Just eight minutes into the second half, Kai Havertz glanced home a header off Florian Wirtz’s delivery to level things at 1-1. For a moment, normal service looked restored — the bigger team finding its rhythm, ready to grind out the win everyone expected.
But this Paraguay side hadn’t read that script either.
The Goal That Wasn’t — And the Shootout That Broke German Hearts
Extra time brought the cruelest twist. Jonathan Tah powered home a header from a corner that looked, for all the world, like the winner. VAR disagreed, ruling out the goal for a foul on Paraguay keeper Orlando Gill. Germany were left fuming, and the goal — and the game — stayed level.
So to penalties it went. And this is where the story turns from upset to legend.
Germany had never lost a World Cup shootout. Six wins from seven attempts in major tournaments. But Gill had done his homework. The Paraguay goalkeeper later revealed he and his staff studied every German penalty-taker in detail — and it showed. He denied Havertz’s spot-kick with an outstretched hand, then somehow turned away Waldemar Anton’s effort in the 119th minute from point-blank range during regulation.
In the shootout itself, Paraguay wobbled too — Antonio Sanabria missed, and Manuel Neuer denied Fabián Balbuena — but it wasn’t enough. Nick Woltemade also missed for Germany, and then Jonathan Tah, of all people, skied his penalty over the bar.
That opened the door for José Canale to step up and calmly slot home the winner, sending Paraguay’s bench into delirium and Germany’s World Cup into history books for all the wrong reasons.
What It Means
This marks Germany’s first knockout-stage appearance since lifting the trophy in 2014 — and it ends in heartbreak, their earliest World Cup exit in years. “It’s very difficult to disappoint again,” a visibly gutted Havertz admitted afterward.
For Paraguay, this is the stuff dreams are made of. They advance to face the winner of France vs Sweden in the Round of 16 in Philadelphia, carrying belief, momentum, and a goalkeeper who just out-thought one of football’s greatest nations.
Rankings are just numbers. On this night, Paraguay proved that football is still played — and won — on the pitch.
Man of the Match: Gill
