Paraguay beat Germany on penalties to reach last 16 of World Cup 2026 –as it happened

“No, please, stop with this nonsense,” snapped Julian Nagelsmann. Germany had just lost 2-1 to Ecuador in their final group game and the television interviewer was suggesting that with Germany already qualified, perhaps the Ecuadoreans had simply wanted it more. “They didn’t want it more,” Nagelsmann bristled. “I cannot tell any of my players that they didn’t give it their all. That’s far too simplistic.”

In other news

It’s natural to focus on Germany, who have lost a penalty competition at a World Cup for the first time, but Paraguay’s gameplan was immaculate. This is one of the greatest moments in their history.

Jose Canale defended with admirable determination throughout, and then strolled forward to take the winning penalty. He’ll sleep well tonight.

Germany 1-1 Paraguay (3-4 pens) Jose Canale lifts the winning kick into the net!

Tah misses! Germany 3-3 Paraguay.

He’s JaapStammed it over the bar!

It’s sudden death…

NEUER SAVES FROM BALBUENA! Germany 3-3 Paraguay.

Amiri scores! Germany 3-3 Paraguay

It’s all on Fabian Balbuena.

Sanabria misses! Germany 2-3 Paraguay

He’s whipped it wide, and haven’t we all!

Gill saves from Woltemade! Germany 2-3 Paraguay

Paraguay are one penalty away!

Galarza scores! Germany 2-3 Paraguay

Musiala scores! Germany 2-2 Paraguay

Excellent penalty because the keeper went the right way.

Gomez scores! Germany 1-2 Paraguay

Kimmich scores! Germany 1-1 Paraguay

Mauricio scores! Germany 0-1 Paraguay

Gill saves Havertz’s penalty!

Germany 0-0 Paraguay

Germany will take the first penalty

For the first time since 2006, Germany are in a penalty competition at a men’s World Cup.

120+2 min Junior Alonso gives way to West Ham legend Fabian Balbuena.

120 min Two minutes of added time. Germany have a free-kick 22 yards out to the right; Amiri whips it wide.

Brown’s inswinging corner is met by Anton, whose close-range header is held on the line by Gill!

Either side and that might have been in.

115 min Musiala is booked for a petulant sliding challenge on Galarza. “That could easily be a red card,” says Alan Shearer on the BBC.

112 min “Orlando Gill really has something of the Chilavert about him, both in his command of the box and his distribution,” says Kári Tulinius. “Though if Anton had tried to pull something like that on Chilavert, the German would’ve been the one on the floor. But he’ll have to start taking free kicks before he’s nicknamed Gillavert.”

What about Gilla Band? Tony Gill?

110 min: Germany substitutions Malick Thiaw and Nadiem Amiri replace Wirtz and Rudiger.

110 min Brown surges into the area and is excellently challenged by Caballero. Paraguay have given everything they have, and what was left after that too.

108 min “I’m as philosophically anti-VAR as they come,” writes Brad McMillan. “However, this is one of those games where I’ll feel robbed if we don’t get penalties, as reward for sitting through 120-plus minutes of, well, you’ve described it well enough already.”

I really haven’t, mainly because of the bit in the style guide about swearing.

106 min The second half of extra time is under way.

We’ll hear plenty about that decision if Germany do one in the next half an hour. Germany also took the lead just before the break when Havertz’s looping header was clawed away from Woltemade by the keeper Gill.

105 min The UK TV consensus is that it’s a soft decision for a foul on Gill by Anton, but the goal has been ruled out.

104 min: VAR check! Hang on, it might be disallowed – they’re checking the block by Anton.

Germany won a corner on the right, swung very deep by Brown. The keeper was blocked by Anton, presumably legally, and Tah powered a storming header back across goal and into the net.

What a header!

100 min Tah heads wide at the far post, a very tough chance under pressure.

99 min: Paraguay substitution It’s been cleared by VAR and Paraguay have brought on Antonio Sanabria and Braian Ojeda for Caceres and Bobadilla.

98 min Play has yet to resume so I guess there’s an ongoing VAR check.

97 min An inswinging cross from the left is controlled expertly on the chest by Woltemade, whose shot hits the flying Gomez. Did that hit his arm?

93 min Woltemade and Kimmich have shots blocked in the space of about two seconds.

91 min Paraguay have replaced Miguel Almiron with another defender, Gustavo Velazquez.

This festival of football is heading to extra-time!

90+2 min Brown’s very deep corner is headed towards goal by Tah and held comfortably by Gill. And why not?

Five minutes of added time by the way.

90+1 min After some neat German interplay, Kimmich pings a long-range shot that deflects behind for a corner.

90 min “Do you get paid more if it goes to extra time?” asks Mac Millings. “If so, I’m channelling Morrissey and hoping for a late winner.”

More?

88 min: Germany substitution Nick Woltemade replaces Leroy Sane, a like-for-like substitution.

86 min Wirtz’s outswinging corner from the right leads to a mini-scramble before a flag goes up for offside.

82 min Nothing much is happening. The whole game has followed the same pattern: attack and defence, invasion and repulsion. Paraguay know what they are doing and could yet nick this.

79 min: Germany substitution Waldemar Anton replaces Aleksandar Pavlovic.

Another fine cross from Wirtz on the left, this time with his left foot and therefore swinging away from goal, is headed powerfully towards goal by Havertz. It’s a bit too straight and Gill dives to his left and pishes it away.

77 min Caballero runs through on goal, farts around inexplicably and is challenged. No matter: he was offside.

74 min A cross from Sane flashes off the head of Canale and goes straight into the hands of Gill.

It’s all Germany, as it has been throughout. The scoreline begs to differ.