The World Cup’s first giant-killing unfolded on Monday evening as Germany crashed out in the Round of 32 after losing on penalties to Paraguay.
Paraguay sat back for the majority of the first half and frustrated Julian Nagelsmann’s men. That said, they were the ones who went closest in the opening 45 minutes when Junior Alonso arrived at the far post, but Manuel Neuer blocked his effort.
The Germans then dominated possession but couldn’t break down a stern Paraguayan defence. Other than Alonso’s attempt in the first minute, the South Americans rarely made it out of their 18-yard box.
The game sprang into life in the 42nd minute when Paraguay took a shock lead through Strasbourg striker Julio Enciso. The former Brighton & Hove Albion man produced a fine header that left Manuel Neuer rooted to his spot.
Germany levelled in the 53rd minute after Florian Wirtz delivered a dangerous cross into the box. The faintest of touches from Kai Havertz’s head guided the ball past Orlando Gill.
The game opened up heading into the final 15 minutes of the second half, and both sides searched for a winner. Jonathan Tah thought he’d bagged it during extra-time with a tidy header only for VAR to intervene and rule the goal out.
A feisty finish to regulation time saw Jamal Musiala escape a red card after a reckless challenge on Matias Galarza. The Paraguayan got revenge and perhaps also counted himself lucky not to receive his marching orders.
Havertz and Nick Woltemade were denied from the spot as Nagelsmann’s side woefully exited the World Cup. A tournament to forget for one of the biggest nations in world football.
Match Highlights
Still to come…
Germany Player Ratings
Phil Noble via Reuters
It’s easy to see why Germany fans have been critical of Julian Nagelsmann as his men were lacklustre throughout the first half. Wirtz isn’t a winger, and the Germans lack width when he’s playing on the left.
Wirtz put a quiet first-half behind him to deliver an inch-perfect cross for Havertz’s equaliser. The Arsenal man is a nuisance in the box and he also grew into the game.
Nathaniel Brown has been hailed amid a move to Bayern Munich, but on today’s showing he needs to improve defensively. The young left-back reacted poorly to the cross that led to Enciso’s goal.
The four-time world champions lack a prolific goalscorer, and Deniz Undav is no Miroslav Klose. Nagelsmann’s decision to start the Stuttgart forward didn’t pay off.
Felix Nmecha will be hoping Manchester United scouts weren’t in attendance, as the Red Devils’ midfield target wasn’t at his best. Neither was Joshua Kimmich, whose defensive weaknesses make clear he should be playing in midfield.
Player
Position
Rating out of 10
Minutes played
Manuel Neuer
GK
6
120
Joshua Kimmich
RB
5
120
Jonathan Tah
RCB
7
120
Antonio Rudiger
LCB
6
120
Nathaniel Brown
LB
6
120
Felix Nmecha
CM
5
45
Aleksandar Pavlovic
CM
4
79
Leroy Sane
RW
5
88
Florian Wirtz
LW
5
110
Kai Havertz
ST
6
120
Deniz Undav
ST
5
63
Leon Goretzka
CM
7
110
Jamal Musiala
CAM
5
57
Waldemar Anton
RB
5
41
Nick Woltemade
ST
5
32
Malick Thiaw
CB
6
10
Nadiem Amiri
AM
6
10
Paraguay Player Ratings
Peter Cziborra via Action Images via Reuters
Paraguay’s defence did well in the first half and were well organised to handle Germany’s attack, who grew frustrated. Jose Canale, in particular, performed like a brick wall, preventing the Germans from getting through the spaces.
Julio Enciso came up with a fine header to give his side the lead, and his movement caused problems for Nagelsmann’s defence. So too did former Newcastle United attacker Miguel Almiron, who worked hard on and off the ball for the South Americans.
Gustavo Alfaro was handed a massive headache when Ensico and Gabriel Avalos both went down with injuries and couldn’t continue. That said, Gustavo Caballero came on, and the Portsmouth loanee nearly made Germany pay on the counter on several occasions.
Player
Position
Rating out of 10
Minutes played
Orlando Gill
GK
8
120
Juan Jose Caceres
RB
7
99
Gustavo Gomez
RCB
8
120
Jose Canale
LCB
8
120
Junior Alonso
LB
7
120
Miguel Almiron
RM
7
90
Andres Cubas
CM
6
120
Damian Bobadilla
CM
6
99
Matias Galarza
LM
7
120
Julio Enciso
ST
8
57
Gabriel Avalos
ST
6
55
Gustavo Cabellaro
ST
7
65
Mauricio
ST
7
63
Gustavo Velazquez
CB
5
30
Braian Ojeda
CM
5
21
Antonio Sanabria
ST
6
21
Fabian Balbuena
CB
N/A
1
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