World Cup

Germany faces crisis after an unexpected defeat to Paraguay at the World Cup

Germany suffered a shocking defeat at the World Cup after losing to Paraguay in a penalty shootout, raising many questions about the future of coach Julian Nagelsmann.

Jul 1, 2026, 12:10 AMGerardo Castro6 lượt xem

The German team suffered a cruel defeat when they let Paraguay pass in the penalty shootout at the World Cup, ending the journey of the four-time champion right in Boston. After being controversially denied a goal by VAR in extra time, Jonathan Tah's goal was cancelled, sending Julian Nagelsmann and his men into a penalty shootout. Missing shots from Kai Havertz, Nick Woltemade and Tah caused Germany to lose 4-3 in the penalty shootout. This result puts Nagelsmann under great pressure, as there is much speculation about his future before the tournament. Although this was Germany's first qualifying match in 12 years, this major defeat sent German football into crisis, when Jose Canale scored the decisive goal, bringing a memorable victory to Paraguay. Paraguay will now face either France or Sweden in the round of 16. This is the biggest victory for South American players at the World Cup, as they reached the quarter-finals in 2010 and have not qualified since then. Nagelsmann, at the age of 38, became the youngest coach at the knock-out round of the World Cup in the past 40 years, chose an attacking formation, bringing Deniz Undav - the team's top scorer - from the start. This striker, with three goals and two assists in the group stage, had dangerous shots right from the start as Germany controlled the match, forcing the opponent to return home. Although Paraguay mainly did not have the ball, they executed their defensive game plan well and surprised the higher-rated team with a quick attack, before Enciso scored the first goal in Paraguay's knock-out history at the World Cup. Germany seemed to have scored the decisive goal in the 102nd minute when Jonathan Tah headed home from a corner kick, but after a VAR review, the goal was ruled out due to a foul on the opposing goalkeeper. Germany saw Havertz, Woltemade and Tah all fail to score in the shootout, before Canale, after two missed shots from Paraguay, calmly scored the winner.