Kathmandu, June 30: Four-time world champions Germany have been knocked out of the FIFA World Cup 2026 after suffering a dramatic 4-3 penalty shootout defeat to Paraguay in the Round of 32 on Tuesday morning.
The match at Boston Stadium ended 1-1 after both regulation and extra time before Paraguay held their nerve in the shootout, with goalkeeper Orlando Gill emerging as the hero.
For Germany, Joshua Kimmich, Jamal Musiala, and Nadiem Amiri converted their penalties. However, Gill denied spot-kicks from Kai Havertz and Nick Woltemade, while Jonathan Tah also failed to convert.
For Paraguay, Lafu Mauricio, Gustavo Gómez, Matías Galarza, and José Canale found the net, although Antonio Sanabria and Fabián Balbuena missed their attempts.
Paraguay had taken the lead in the 42nd minute through Julio Enciso, before Havertz equalized for Germany in the 54th minute to send the match into extra time.
Germany thought they had found a winner in the 102nd minute when Jonathan Tah scored, but the goal was ruled out following a VAR review.
With neither side able to find another breakthrough, the contest was decided on penalties, where Paraguay secured a memorable victory to book their place in the Round of 16.
Paraguay will now face the winner of Wednesday morning’s Round of 32 clash between France and Sweden for a place in the quarter-finals.
