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Paraguay stun Germany on penalties to reach last 16

There was a time when Germany were expected to win football tournaments. Including their spell competing as West Germany, they have won the World Cup four times, losing in the final another four times, and they have won three of the six European Championship finals they have been in. But those days are over. The front page of Tuesday's Bild newspaper summed it up with a headline that translates as 'The next German football nightmare' after Germany's World Cup run came to an abrupt halt in the last 32, losing 4-3 on penalties to Paraguay after it had been 1-1 at the end of extra time.

Since their most recent World Cup success in 2014, Germany have failed to make it out of the group stage twice and have now lost in the first knockout match they have faced in 2026. At the start of the competition, Paraguay were 41st in the Fifa world rankings, with Germany 10th. But that did not stop the South Americans handing Germany their first ever loss in a World Cup penalty shootout.

Nagelsmann was appointed as Germany coach in September 2023.

In Boston, despite having 75% of the ball, Germany struggled to break down a well-organised, resilient but limited Paraguay side, who took a surprise lead through former Brighton and Ipswich man Julio Enciso. Arsenal's Kai Havertz equalised with a glancing header early in the second half before Jonathan Tah's header was controversially ruled out for a foul by a team-mate seconds earlier. But at least Germany had the safety net of penalties and could fall back on a perfect 100% World Cup shootout record of played four, won four.

Havertz went first and had his effort saved. Newcastle's Nick Woltemade also was denied by Gill and, despite being given a lifeline with two Paraguay failures, Tah then blasted his attempt over, before defender Jose Canale sealed Paraguay's victory. "When you exit the World Cup after you play Paraguay it is very bitter. It is very hurtful," said Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann. "This is the third elimination in a row, so we are not part of the first-class teams any more."

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Paraguay stun Germany on penalties to reach last 16 of World Cup

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Nagelsmann, a Bundesliga winner in charge of Bayern Munich in 2022, took over the national team in 2023, but they only reached the quarter-finals of the 2024 Euros they hosted. Their World Cup campaign in North America started well, thrashing newcomers Curacao 7-1 and then coming from behind to defeat Ivory Coast 2-1. They lost 2-1 to Ecuador in their final group game - although they had already guaranteed top spot - but the manner of this loss to Paraguay leaves Nagelsmann fighting for his job, with plenty of calls already on social media for ex-Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp to replace him.

"If you consider the whole tournament, the way we played, it is a deserved loss," former Germany defender Arne Friedrich said on BBC Radio 5 Live. "Nagelsmann has to face the consequences. It is very disappointing, but that is sport. I would definitely say the journey continues without Nagelsmann."

Former Germany midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger, speaking on BBC One, added: "It's hard to explain how Germany got into this tournament with so many problems. It's unacceptable. "It doesn't look good for Nagelsmann. In the last few months, he hasn't dealt with situations well. With the expanded World Cup format, to go out so early would be tough to take for any big nation."

Germany had only previously missed one penalty in a World Cup shootout - Uli Stielike having his spot-kick saved against France in 1982 - but against Paraguay, Kai Havertz and Nick Woltemade had their attempts saved with Jonathan Tah shooting well over.

Immediately after the game, Nagelsmann was repeatedly asked about his future and said he was "not someone who runs away" but admitted he would not be popular among the German supporters. "If we're going to do a survey today in Germany, people are not going to speak about me positively obviously," he added. "I did feel the support in the stadium. I don't think everyone in Germany will agree with me staying on and continuing as manager of the team. "I'd like to praise all the German fans who came to the stadium. I expected a totally different reaction from them but it was amazing and impressive the way they supported us, even after the defeat.

"I'm not going to step back only because we are eliminated. If the DFB [German football association] want me to continue, I am going to continue. I know how the industry works and a lot of people now want me to leave. I want to continue if the German FA wants me to."

Even before the Paraguay game, Nagelsmann was getting criticism, with Klopp - working for German television - unhappy with the performance against Ecuador, saying: "We chose the wrong methods on this pitch; we played the wrong kind of football against an aggressive opponent." But those lessons were not learned against a physical, dogged and determined Paraguay side that defended deep and in numbers and frustrated Germany.

Paraguay now play either France or Sweden in the last 16 on Saturday, while Germany have to deal with another early exit. "If I want to be cynical and sarcastic, all we would have earned is a right to get absolutely destroyed by France," said German football journalist Raphael Honigstein on BBC Radio 5 Live. "You can get knocked out, but you can't get knocked out against Paraguay at this stage in this manner. That is why this is not going to be a defeat without repercussions and an aftermath. "If you look at the whole tournament, it just wasn't enough. Germany has been poor. "There were too many big calls not coming off for Julian Nagelsmann. It is going to be very hard for him to survive this. I think it will be over for him, I am afraid."

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So what has happened to the Germany we have all been used to? Hitzlsperger told BBC Sport: "For a long time, player development in Germany has been all about passing, style of play and being tactically innovative but there's one element that maybe we didn't focus on enough, and that is having a bit of edge. "It doesn't mean we just launch long balls, win headers and win ugly – or go back to the days when we would get to the final and nobody kind of knew how, beyond the fact it was because we're Germany. "But at the same time, we've lost that aura that made teams fear us. Other teams respect us but they don't fear us any more. We're no longer as difficult to beat, and we lack the physical presence we once had.

He continued: "For many years, Spain have been the team everyone wants to copy. It took many years but when we won the World Cup in 2014 we had great players but also a winning ethos. Now it seems we just focus on nice football. "We need to start addressing this at academy level. What is football all about? It's about winning, of course. This team wanted to win, but how do you win? By having an edge. "The best example is Argentina. They have that perfect combination of being a team who can be nasty to play against but at the same time they have players who can create something out of nothing. "Of course, we don't have a Lionel Messi and not every team can play like Argentina or France. But we should be closer to where those teams are."

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