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For nearly forty years, the German team had never lost a penalty shootout in the World Cup. This record was as solid as the punctuality of the German auto industry, and everyone assumed it would automatically renew itself. On June 29, 2026, at Gillette Stadium in Boston, Havertz, Woltemade, and Jonathan Tah stepped up to the 12 yard line in turn, and all three failed to find the back of the net. Paraguay's goalkeeper, Orlando Gil, 26 years old, saved two penalties. José Canale sealed the deal in sudden death, winning the shootout 4 3, giving Paraguay a 5 4 aggregate victory and knocking Germany out of the World Cup.
Nearly four decades without a World Cup penalty shootout loss for Germany. That streak was as solid as the punctuality of the German auto industry, and everyone assumed it would auto-renew. On June 29, 2026, at Gillette Stadium in Boston, Havertz, Woltemade, and Jonathan Tah stepped up to the 12-yard line in turn, and none of them found the net. Paraguayan goalkeeper Orlando Gill, 26, saved two. José Canalé sealed it in sudden death, 4-3 on penalties, 5-4 on aggregate, sending Germany out of the World Cup.
It was the first time Germany had ever fallen in a World Cup penalty shootout. They fell to an opponent whose name most people needed to check the pronunciation of before the match.
Looking back at the 120 minutes, the seeds of this defeat were already sown. Germany had 75.4% possession, the third-highest in a World Cup knockout match since 1966. Shots on target? Three. Paraguay had less than a quarter of the ball and also three shots on target. The Germans passed the ball around like a rosary, circling and circling, but couldn't unlock the door.
Paraguay did the same in a quarter of the time, but they actually scored. In the 42nd minute, Julio Enciso headed home, Paraguay's first ever World Cup knockout goal. Kai Havertz equalized in the 54th minute, but that goal couldn't mask the root problem of the entire match: Germany failed to create any real danger in the opponent's box.
In the 102nd minute of extra time, fate offered Germany what seemed like a generous gift. Jonathan Tah scored with a header, making it 2-1. German fans in the stands went wild. Then VAR cut in. The referee ruled that Waldemar Anton had fouled goalkeeper Gill in the aerial challenge, and the goal was disallowed. From ecstasy to zero in seconds. FIFA's post-match explanation only added to the frustration: such standards had been communicated to all team coaches and players before the tournament. The rule was correct, the enforcement was correct, and Germany could only swallow the lead that had been taken away.
The penalty shootout was the final execution. Havertz took the first penalty, a soft shot. Woltemade's second was saved by Gill diving to his side. Tah, the same Tah whose goal was ruled out by VAR, blasted his penalty over the bar. Three dull thuds, and German football's pride was ground into the dirt from 12 yards.
Before the match had even cooled down, the internal war within the German Football Association (DFB) had already begun. Nagelsmann stood in the mixed zone of Gillette Stadium after the match, his expression stiff but his tone firm: "I won't resign. If the DFB wants me to continue, I'll continue, but I know how this business works." His contract with the DFB runs until the 2028 home European Championship, reportedly with an annual salary of up to €8 million. This long-term deal now felt like a rope binding both sides together. Bild ran a reader poll, and 93% chose: Fire him immediately.
DFB President Bernd Neuendorf held an emergency meeting that night, with a long list of attendees: Nagelsmann, Sporting Director Andreas Rettig, Rudi Völler, and Hans-Joachim Watzke. The meeting lasted about three hours. Neuendorf's line afterward was "After a tournament like this, we can't just carry on as if nothing happened" and "We must calmly and jointly explore the reasons." Rettig's pre-match comment to MagentaTV, "Our backs are against the wall," turned out to be the most precise narration of this crisis.
The cracks in the dressing room had already become public before the match even ended. Lothar Matthäus, 65, let loose on his show "Lothar spricht": "In the past, whenever criticism was raised, there would be many high-profile excuses and angry responses from inside the DFB." He claimed to have revealed previously unreported internal disputes – the specific content hasn't been fully reconstructed by the media yet, but the tension was palpable enough. Matthäus also brought up old grievances, criticizing the early arrival of players' families at the camp during the World Cup, distracting from preparation.
Bastian Schweinsteiger said it more bluntly on German public broadcaster Sportschau: "We've abandoned our traditional strengths. We've lost our toughness, identity, and fighting spirit. The harsh truth is that Germany is now only second-rate." He gave a push for Klopp to take over: "I believe it will happen." Dietmar Hamann on Sky TV aimed even higher: "It's time to reconsider Messrs. Neuendorf and Rettig."
2018: out in the group stage. 2022: out in the group stage. 2026: finally made it out of the group, then sent home by Paraguay in the round of 32. The form was different each time, but the outcome was identical. German football has wasted eight years and still sees no sign of recovery.
Nagelsmann refuses to leave, the legends lash out in all directions, and the DFB leadership eyes each other warily. Meanwhile, 26-year-old Orlando Gill has already flown on with Paraguay to the next round.