Paraguay inflicts historic World Cup elimination on Germany in penalty shootout

Twelve years after their last World Cup triumph in Brazil, German football finds itself in a deep crisis. The once-mighty Mannschaft has been prematurely eliminated from the World Cup once again, this time at the unprecedented Round of 16 stage by Paraguay. This latest debacle follows traumatic failures in Russia in 2018 and Qatar in 2022, where they were knocked out in the group stage.

The historic nature of this defeat was compounded by the method of elimination: a penalty shootout. For the first time in World Cup history, a German team faltered from the spot. Paraguayan goalkeeper Orlando Gill became the hero, saving shots from Kai Havertz and Nick Woltemade, while Jonathan Tah's attempt sailed over the bar, sealing Paraguay's 4-3 victory after a 1-1 draw.

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Before the extra time, our coach [Gustavo Alfaro] told us that all our compatriots were already proud of us because we had already made history, but that we could still become legends of our country, and that is exactly what happened.

Paraguay, who had finished third in their group and suffered a heavy opening defeat, showed resilience. They took the lead in the first half through Julio Enciso, only for Havertz to equalize in the second. Germany thought they had won it in extra time when Tah headed home, but the goal was disallowed after VAR review for a foul on Gill.

Julio Enciso, a key player for Paraguay, expressed pride in his team's historic achievement. "Before the extra time, our coach [Gustavo Alfaro] told us that all our compatriots were already proud of us because we had already made history, but that we could still become legends of our country, and that is exactly what happened," Enciso said. He added, "We are not afraid of anyone," signaling Paraguay's confidence moving forward in the tournament.

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We are not afraid of anyone.