Paraguay produced one of the biggest surprises of the FIFA World Cup by defeating four-time champions Germany on penalties after a hard-fought 1-1 draw in Boston to reach the World Cup last 16
Despite dominating possession throughout much of the first half, Germany struggled to create meaningful opportunities against Paraguay’s disciplined defensive setup. Their only effort on target before the break came from Joshua Kimmich, whose tame strike posed little threat.
Paraguay capitalised on one of their few attacking moves in the opening half. Miguel Almirón combined with Matías Galarza before Julio Enciso headed home to give La Albirroja an unlikely lead heading into halftime.
Germany improved after the restart and eventually found an equaliser when substitute Leon Goretzka’s cross was flicked into the net by Kai Havertz for his third goal of the tournament.
The remainder of normal time and extra time produced few clear-cut chances. Germany thought they had completed the comeback when Jonathan Tah headed into the net, but the goal was ruled out following a VAR review that identified a foul on Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill.
The contest eventually went to penalties, where both teams missed two attempts before Tah blazed Germany’s decisive kick over the bar. José Canale converted Paraguay’s final penalty to secure a famous victory and send the South Americans into the quarter-finals.
The defeat marks another disappointing World Cup exit for Germany, whose wait for a return to the latter stages of the tournament continues.