World Cup: Lifeless Germany fall as Paraguay show tenacity to die another day

Germany should have won this game 100 times over, romped to an easy victory, and enjoyed a lovely little rest ahead of the Round of 16.

Instead, at every turn in its Round of 32 game against Paraguay at Boston Stadium, the world number 12 was met by a team determined to defend for dear life and strike at the death.

The World Cup penalty shootout maestros were brought undone by a team that would not have even made it this far in previous editions, but now has one of the mightiest scalps in its history.

And the joyful tears of grown men pierce in a particularly powerful way, when accompanied by pulling off what started as improbable, and as the game progressed, should have been impossible. 

José Canale is the latest unexpected hero of this World Cup: when others faltered in a penalty shootout against the four-time champions, he calmly stepped up to score the winner. 

Goalkeeper Orlando Gill was another national hero for his saves both during the game and in the shootout.

And for the first time in tournament history, a team that finished third in the group stage of the much maligned expanded tournament, has secured a knockout win.

This game will be sold as a shock result, and in some ways it is. But in many other ways, it all went exactly to plan.

How the mighty fall

Germany is a long-standing powerhouse of men’s football, but since winning the last of its four World Cups in 2014, it has been in a remarkable freefall.

The Germans did not qualify for the knockout stage of the past two tournaments and progressed unconvincingly this time.

The pressure had been building on coach Julian Nagelsmann, 38, the youngest manager at this tournament and two years junior to his goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.

“I do not think I have any responsibility to prove myself to anyone,” he said before this game.

“If you win, everything is perfect; if you lose, everything is s***, so we have to win.”

His blunt prelude was even more abrupt after the defeat.

“If you are eliminated by Paraguay you are just not a first-class football team. I am very disappointed,” he said.

There were already calls for Jürgen Klopp to take over as manager leading into this game. After this defeat, it is hard to see Nagelsmann staying on. 

While Germany had to win, and in all likelihood win well to quieten the critics, externally at least, Paraguay had zero expectations.

And with that spirit, the South Americans came in with a well-executed game plan to send a European giant crashing.

“I think ‌deep down Germany knew that if they wanted to beat us, they would ​have to sweat blood, because we were going ‌to make defeat very, very expensive for them,” Paraguay captain Gustavo Gomez said.

Encisco ecstasy

The most surprising part of the game came from the kick-off, with Paraguay immediately on the attack, forcing a corner, and a save from Neuer.

It was more predictable after that, the South Americans sitting back and defending, slowing the game down with tactical fouls, absorbing the pressure tenaciously and not allowing Germany to make any quality excursions into the box. 

Patiently waiting for their moment to strike on the counter-attack.

It was not thrilling football, but a tactic employed by many underdog teams at this tournament so far, including by Paraguay against Australia. 

There were murmurs in the press box about “anti-football”, but in this context, it was hard to fault, as it led to a quality goal.

Germany once again proved its fragilities when defending set pieces, a partial clearance saw Paraguay get a second bite.

Miguel Almirón, at the centre of so much for his side, played a delightful pass to Matías Galarza, and his cross thundered towards Julian Enciso, who headed it in.

Enciso’s primal roar ripped through the stadium, in unison with the fervent ecstasy of the small but completely uninhibited Paraguayan fans here whose emotions were visceral, contagious even.

This was not a mere goal celebration, but a celebration of life, of hope, of dying another day.

Until that day looked to be today.

German blemishes

The Germans were burnt and bitter after that rude awakening, and were faster, fiercer, making it difficult for Paraguay’s firm defence to take shape. 

The pressure was finally converted thanks to Kai Havertz’s glancing header.

Havertz had another header on target but it was well handled by Gill.

As was the case all game, Germany controlled the ball, maintaining close to 80 per cent possession, and continued to pepper Paraguay.

Paraguay’s defence was tiring, but defiant in exhausted desperation to hold out, its block-busting efforts consistently rewarded and remarkably, as the game headed to extra time, both teams had three shots on target.

At times it was like whack-a-mole: Germany kept hammering shots in and kept knocking down defenders who stood in the way, without attaining the grand prize.

It was a toiling, trying game, which should have mercifully ended when Jonathan Tah headed the ball in for Germany at the far post in extra time.

But a contentious VAR intervention ruling deemed that Gill was fouled in the build-up.  

“I do not agree with that decision at all, the goalkeeper Orlando Gill falls to the ground far too easy,” Alan Shearer said on BBC. 

“This is a contact sport, and there are about five or six bodies in the box. I don’t agree with that.”

The decision sent the game to the shootout which the Germans bottled with two shots saved, and one bad miss from Tah.

Germany had never lost a World Cup shootout in four previous attempts; that record is now blemished, and its reputation is now tarnished. 

The wild, celebratory scenes from the Paraguayan players, right in front of a block of their loyal supporters, were full of intense emotions, ones that many could not put into words as they finally made their way out of the stadium.

For now, the words are not needed; the tears say it all.