Paraguay shocked the world with a brave performance and defying expectations at the World Cup.
The South American underdogs held Germany to a 1-1 draw in extra time and eliminated the four-time world champions on penalties on Monday.
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This result could be the biggest upset in World Cup history..
Al Jazeera Sports looks at what this result means for both countries.
Will this be Paraguay’s biggest upset of the World Cup?
At the 1998 World Cup, Paraguay held on to a 0-0 draw with hosts France in the last 16, and were hoping for some penalty kick magic from goalkeeper Jose Luis Chilaber, but their strategy was dashed by Laurent Blanc’s golden goal in the 114th minute.
Twenty-eight years later, Paraguay has accomplished what Chilebert’s generation failed to accomplish.
Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gil saved shots from Kai Havertz and Nick Waltemaade and Jonathan Tarr’s shot went over the bar, paving the way for Jose Canale to slot home the decisive spot-kick.
This was the first time Germany lost on penalties at a World Cup.
History of the Heroes of Paraguay’s Gil
Gill has a background as a penalty stopper. In May, he made two saves for his club San Lorenzo in the Apertura shootout against River Plate in Argentina, but San Lorenzo ended up losing.
Last year, in the quarterfinals against Argentina Juniors, he once again made a decisive save in the shootout.
“It’s hard to explain in words. It was a very challenging game. We were attacked from all sides, but we fought back,” Gill said Monday after helping his 5-1 underdogs advance to the last 16.
“It showed us that we shouldn’t talk too soon,” he said as he left the pitch, with some teammates sobbing with joy.
“This proves that Paraguay is capable of achieving great things. The opportunity will come sooner or later.”
“We had to analyze every player, every detail,” he said when asked about his two saves in the penalty shootout.
“Now we will calm down and analyze what we achieved. We managed to hold out until the 120th minute and luck was on our side in the penalty shootout.”
Gil’s next game is Saturday in Philadelphia against either France or Sweden.
Paraguay coach Alfaro shows confidence in defense team
Like Gil’s heroics, Paraguay’s unexpected victory was built on coach Gustavo Alfaro’s unwavering faith in his defense.
Despite criticism of his tactics in the group stage, where Paraguay lost their first game 4-1 to co-hosts the United States and scored just two goals in three games, Alfaro doubled down on his bet on the final line against Germany.
“Today was a game where we had to be more like Paraguay than ever before,” said captain Gustavo Gomez.
“I think deep down Germany knew that if they wanted to beat us, they would have to sweat blood, because our defeat would be very costly for them.”
Paraguay’s mental strength advances to the last 16 of the World Cup
That spirit was on display in the 1-0 win over Tolkier in the group phase, as Paraguay were reduced to 10 men just before half-time and their opponents only had 32 shots on goal.
On Monday, Germany had 75% possession and had 21 shots to Paraguay’s seven. However, behind the numbers, Paraguay’s performance represented a masterclass in defense.
Paraguay is always one step ahead of Germany
The South Americans predicted almost every move Germany made and, even without the injured centre-half Omar Alderete, actually limited their moments of danger to just a few.
Julio Enciso, Paraguay’s most creative player to date, almost completely halted the flow of play and took the lead in the 42nd minute when he headed home Matias Galarza’s cross.
Havertz leveled Germany nine minutes into the second half with a header off a cross from Florian Wirtz.
The Europeans continued to struggle to break through Paraguay’s defense. In extra time, Tarr seemed to have won the game when he headed in a corner kick, but the goal was ruled out after a VAR check for a foul on Gil.
Alfaro redeemed after backlash from Paraguay
The victory will be particularly pleasing to Alfaro, 63, who has himself been criticized in the media for calling for a more attacking style.
Alfaro now needs to prepare a resolute defense for the round of 16 match against France, led by free scorer Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembele, who are likely to beat Sweden in the first knockout on Tuesday.
Nagelsmann suffers after being sent off again at the World Cup
By contrast, Alfaro’s opposite number on Monday, Julian Nagelsmann, will likely struggle to keep his job after Germany’s humiliating third straight World Cup defeat.
Coach Nagelsmann was unhappy with the decision to nullify Tarr’s effort in overtime and said he wanted to keep his job.
“You talk about expectations. It’s been 11 or 12 years, but we’ve fallen short,” the 38-year-old said. “That’s not enough for German football.”
Nagelsmann is under contract until the 2028 European Championship, but the 38-year-old will come under intense scrutiny following Germany’s early withdrawal from the World Cup.
“I’m not one to run away,” he told German broadcaster ZDF.
“I want to keep going, but in football you don’t always have it in your hands.
“I will prepare for the European Championship and the Nations League if the DFB (German Football Association) wants me to do so.”
Midfielder Nadiem Amiri said Germany still had a bright future, but admitted the pain of defeat made it difficult to look too far ahead.
Some of Germany’s key players may not be available for the next World Cup in 2030, but Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz should be in their prime by then.
Highly rated teenager Lenato Karl, who missed the tournament due to injury, is also expected to return.
“We have a lot of young players in the team and a lot of quality,” Amiri said. Amiri came on at the end of extra time and scored a penalty in the shootout.
“However, it was the wrong decision to think about the future at this time and I sympathize with everyone. I am very sad because it was a shocking end to the game. It is very difficult to find the right words.”
