Germany crashed out at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough as Paraguay managed a 1-1 draw after extra time and prevailed 4-3 on penalties, handing Gustavo Alfaro a signature World Cup result against Julian Nagelsmann’s rebooted 4-4-2.
Julio Enciso scored in the 42nd minute, finishing a move Matías Galarza sparked by sliding a pass through Germany’s single pivot after Paraguay’s narrow shape pounced on a turnover. Germany, on top of possession but short on incision before the break, adjusted immediately as Leon Goretzka replaced Felix Nmecha in the 46th minute. The change paid off eight minutes later when Florian Wirtz slipped Kai Havertz in to level in the 54th minute.
Nagelsmann added more invention with Jamal Musiala coming on for Deniz Undav in the 63rd minute, yet Paraguay’s back line stayed resolute. Alfaro freshened his front line quickly, turning to Gustavo Caballero for Gabriel Ávalos in the 55th minute and Mauricio for Enciso two minutes later to prioritise legs over poise. Andrés Cubas collected a yellow card in the 65th minute while continuing to shield the box.
Extra time hinged on fine margins. Jonathan Tah’s finish in the 103rd minute was overturned by VAR for a foul on goalkeeper Orlando Gill. Havertz entered the book for a foul in the 106th minute, Musiala followed in the 115th, and Galarza was cautioned in the 117th as fatigue set in. Wirtz and Antonio Rüdiger departed in the 110th minute for Nadiem Amiri and Malick Thiaw, with Junior Alonso eventually giving way to Fabián Balbuena in the 120th minute to reach the shootout.
Gill, already on six saves from open play, turned the shootout as well. He produced two stops, including a denial of Germany’s fifth taker Tah, before José Canale converted Paraguay’s response for a 4-3 win. It marked the first penalty-shootout defeat in Germany’s World Cup history despite 75 percent possession and 16 corners.
Paraguay’s compact 4-4-2 held because the midfield trio of Cubas, Galarza and Damián Bobadilla constricted central lanes and pushed Germany wide. Wirtz still fashioned four key passes from the right half-space, but Nagelsmann’s front pair rarely received service with runners beyond them. Nathaniel Brown’s encouragement to overlap left Aleksandar Pavlović — and later Goretzka — covering large swathes of the midfield, a gap Paraguay exploited on transitions. Alfaro’s bench moves kept the pressure gateways closed: Caballero and Mauricio pressed the flanks, while Antonio Sanabria and Braian Ojeda, both introduced in the 99th minute, tightened the block for the final stretch.
Key Stats:
- Possession: Germany 75 percent, Paraguay 25 percent
- Total shots: Germany 21, Paraguay 7
- Corners: Germany 16, Paraguay 6
- Expected goals: Germany 1.49, Paraguay 0.42
- Saves: Orlando Gill 6, Manuel Neuer 2
The result reshapes the bracket. Paraguay advance to a Round of 16 tie later this week and will need similar resilience. Germany, eliminated after another ball-dominant display that yielded only Havertz’s 54th-minute goal, face another searching post-tournament review under Nagelsmann. For another tight knockout examination, see Netherlands vs Morocco.
