New Delhi: The FIFA World Cup 2026 witnessed the biggest upset so far, where four-time World Champion Germany was eliminated from the tournament after being defeated 4-3 in the penalty shootout by Paraguay in the Round of 32. After the scheduled 90 minutes and extra time, the match ended in a 1-1 draw, after which, in the penalty shootout, Paraguay maintained its composure and registered a historic victory and entered the last-16.
Germany controlled the ball for much of the match and made frequent attacks, but Paraguay’s strong defense and goalkeeper Orlando Gil prevented its efforts from succeeding. Star players like Leroy Sane, Florian Wirtz and Kai Havertz did not get the opportunity to play freely, due to which Germany could not take the lead despite pressure.
In the last moments of the first half, Paraguay took full advantage of the corner opportunity. After Manuel Noyer gave the ball away, Paraguay attacked again and Julio Enciso gave the team a 1-0 lead with a brilliant header from Matias Galarsa’s accurate cross. This lead remained intact till the end of the first half.
In the second half, Germany adopted an aggressive attitude and equalized in the 54th minute. Kai Havertz scored a header on Florian Wirtz’s excellent cross to make the score 1-1. After this, Germany continued to search for the winning goal, while Paraguay kept the match balanced by deploying most of its players on the defensive front.
Germany also scored a goal in extra time, but the goal was canceled by the referee due to a foul on the goalkeeper. After this the match reached the penalty shootout, where Paraguay took the lead from the beginning. Germany’s first penalty was missed by Kai Havertz, which was brilliantly stopped by Orlando Gil. There was excitement between the two teams, but in the decisive moment, José Canale scored a goal to give Paraguay a 4–3 victory.
With this victory, Paraguay registered its name among the most memorable successes in World Cup knockout history. Julio Enciso’s goal also became Paraguay’s first goal in the World Cup knockout stage. Now the team will face the winner of the match between France and Sweden in the last-16 on July 4.
After the match, Paraguay captain Gustavo Gomez described the team’s unity as the biggest reason for the victory. Meanwhile, goalkeeper Orlando Gil said that the team had prepared the penalty takers in advance, which gave them the advantage at the crucial time. On the other hand, Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann admitted that his team did not put the expected pressure on the opposition and the match should not have been decided on penalties. Kai Havertz also expressed disappointment over the defeat and said that the players will have to seriously evaluate their performance.
On the other hand, in another match, Brazil defeated Japan 2-1 and made it to the last-16. Japan had taken the lead by scoring the first goal, but Brazil came back and achieved a thrilling victory thanks to Gabriel Martinelli’s winning goal in injury time.
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