Germany’s Jonathan Tah fired a header from a corner kick by Nathaniel Brown as Germany thought they had the much-needed lead in the first half of extra time, but for the VAR check that denied them the goal. Paraguay were eyeing a historic win over the four-time champions in their round of 32 clash as their 1-1 deadlock was headed into the second half and then into the extra time.
The Die Nationalelf felt they got their second goal of the night at the Boston Stadium, Foxborough, after Kai Havertz had put in the equaliser in the 54th minute following Julio Ensico’s strike for the La Albirroja. Brown charged a corner kick from the right as Tah headed one into the top corner. However, the goal was disallowed after a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) intervention.
VAR referee Tatiana Guzman recommended an OFR (on-field review) to referee Jalal Jayed, who then looked at the monitor and disallowed the goal for a foul on Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill by Waldermar Anton. The referee deemed that there was a clear block from Anton on Gill to impact the goalkeeper’s ability to save the ball from reaching the goal.
Paraguay stun Germany in sudden death
Paraguay have sent shockwaves to the world after defeating four-time champions Germany in an epic round of 32 clash in the FIFA World Cup 2026 to storm into the round of 16. Kai Havertz’s strike in the 54th minute brought Germany back in the game after Julio Ensico scored in the 42nd minute. However, La Albirroja defeated the Germans 4-3 on penalties to cause a major shock in the tournament.
The clash went right down to the wire to sudden death. Jose Canale converted the decisive first sudden-death penalty, while goalkeeper Orlando Gill emerged as Paraguay’s hero with two crucial saves in the shootout to produce the biggest upset of the tournament so far.
The Round of 32 contest had finished 1-1 after extra time. Paraguay struck first just before the break through Enciso, whose powerful header gave his side a deserved lead. Germany responded early in the second half, with Havertz finding the equaliser in the 52nd minute to force a tense battle that remained deadlocked through the remainder of regulation and extra time before Paraguay held their nerve in the shootout to seal a famous victory.
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