Germany Paraguay ended with a 4:5 penalty shootout defeat, and Reprezentacja Niemiec went out in 1/16 finału after drawing 1:1 over 90 minutes and extra time. Julian Nagelsmann’s team needed six series of penalties to settle the tie, but three missed kicks sent Paraguay through to 1/8 finału.
Julio Enciso put Paragwaj ahead in the 42. minute. Kai Havertz answered in the 54. minute, and no more goals followed in regular time or extra time, leaving the match to be decided from the spot.
Julio Enciso Strikes First
Enciso’s goal changed the match shape early. Germany had to chase the game after the 42. minute, and the equalizer from Havertz in the 54. minute was the only answer they found before the break in scoring lasted through the rest of the match.
That scoreline created the path to penalties, but it did not give Germany control. The team led by Julian Nagelsmann looked very poor for most of the match, and the pace described around the game was slow and flat. The problem was not only that Germany needed the shootout; it was that they entered it without having imposed themselves for long stretches.
Nagelsmann’s Penalty Collapse
The shootout turned on three misses from Germany. Havertz, Nick Woltemade and Jonathan Tah all failed from the spot, and after six series Paraguay could celebrate while Germany’s run ended at the first knockout stage.
That finish cut against Germany’s reputation. The side had taken 17 of its 18 World Cup penalties before this match, and this was the first time Paraguay eliminated Germany on penalties in the country’s history. The loss also ended Germany’s tournament at 1/16 finału for the first time in 64 years.
Boston And Foxborough Verdict
The setting underlined the weight of the defeat: the match was played in Foxborough and Boston, and the reaction around it was immediate and harsh. The result fits the two most recent World Cup exits as well, with Germany leaving in the group stage in 2018 and again in 2022, then failing now at the first knockout hurdle.
For Germany, the next issue is simple and brutal: the shootout reputation is gone, and the team leaves with another early exit that adds to the pressure on Nagelsmann after a match defined by one goal from Enciso, one reply from Havertz, and three misses when everything was decided.
