Historic upset: Paraguay knock Germany out on penalties to reach the round of 16

Some upsets happen in the group stage. Some show up with a wild last-minute shot. And some make it into the history books — like the one in Boston this Monday. Paraguay, absent from the World Cup for 16 years, held Germany to 1-1, survived extra time, and beat one of the giants of world football on penalties: 4-3.

Anyone who had never heard of goalkeeper Orlando Gill learned his name the hard way. Two saves in the shootout, plenty more across 120 minutes. Paraguay are in the quarterfinals. Germany are going home.

Their only previous World Cup meeting

The last time Germany and Paraguay met at a World Cup was in 2002, in the round of 16, at the Japan/South Korea edition. Paraguay held firm for most of the match but conceded late: Oliver Neuville scored in the 88th minute. The result: an exit at the first knockout round.

Twenty-four years later, the script came back with the signs flipped — same stage, same opponent, a completely different ending.

Germany in knockout crisis

You can't say this defeat came out of nowhere. Germany have four world titles and a proud history, but had been knocked out at the group stage twice in a row. The 2026 World Cup was supposed to be Germany's redemption. It turned into their third straight tournament flop.

Paraguay: back with a bang after 16 years

Paraguay hadn't played a World Cup since 2010 — when, it's worth remembering, they reached the quarterfinals for the first time in their history. Before that, in every other knockout appearance, they had always been eliminated in the first round of the bracket. But they had never been outplayed: always 1-0.

That defensive solidity that had always stopped Paraguay just short of the next round became, this time, the very thing that got them through.

Germany's standouts

On Germany's side, three names defined the night. Florian Wirtz, the €110-million midfielder from Liverpool, was the one who crossed for the equalizer. Kai Havertz, of Arsenal, headed it in — and missed his own penalty in the shootout. Jamal Musiala, of Bayern, still recovering from a serious injury at the 2025 Club World Cup, played below his best but had flashes.

Paraguay's standouts

On the other side, three players took center stage: Julio Enciso, the Strasbourg forward on loan from Brighton, opened the scoring with a header in the 41st minute. Miguel Almirón, formerly of Newcastle and now at Atlanta United, was the technical leader and set up the goal. And Orlando Gill, goalkeeper of Al-Ain in the UAE, became the face of the World Cup: two saves in the shootout, six in the match overall, and a decisive intervention in extra time.

To get a sense of the size of the upset: the German squad is valued at around €947 million by Transfermarkt. Wirtz alone is worth €110 million — more than four times the value of Enciso (€25.5m), Paraguay's most expensive player.

How the match unfolded

Germany started on top and piled up chances. But, on Paraguay's first real attack, it was the underdogs who struck: in the 41st minute, Almirón surged down the right, Galarza put in a perfect cross and Enciso rose unmarked to make it 1-0.

In the second half, Germany pressed and equalized in the 53rd minute through Havertz, heading home a Wirtz cross. The game stayed nervy until full time and went to extra time. Then came the controversy: Tah headed in, but VAR ruled it out for a foul by Jonathan Anton on Gill earlier in the move. The Germans protested, but the call stood.

In the shootout, Gill saved from Havertz and Woltemade. José Canale stepped up for the decisive kick and sent Paraguay through.

Match facts

• 41' — Julio Enciso (PAR), header, from a Galarza cross
• 53' — Kai Havertz (GER), header, from a Wirtz cross
• Goal disallowed by VAR in extra time: Tah (GER), for a foul by Anton on Gill
• Penalties saved by Gill: Havertz and Woltemade
• Decisive penalty: José Canale (PAR)

Next opponent

In the quarterfinals, Paraguay await the winner of another tie to find out their next challenger. Whoever it is, they'll be facing a side that just eliminated a four-time world champion — and a goalkeeper that now has the whole tournament watching.