José Canale’s nerveless penalty settled a chaotic shootout in Foxborough, Massachusetts, and sent Paraguay into the last 16 at Germany’s expense. Jonathan Tah had already blasted his kick over the bar, and when Canale converted to seal a 4-3 victory after a 1-1 draw, the South Americans erupted in disbelief. It was the first time Germany had ever lost a World Cup penalty shootout, and the defeat extended a miserable run: since lifting the trophy in 2014, Die Mannschaft have now failed to win a knockout tie at three consecutive tournaments.

The match followed a script that has become painfully familiar for German football. Paraguay, content to cede possession, struck first when Julio Enciso powered home a header shortly before half-time. Germany, who completed 244 passes to their opponents’ 31 in the opening 35 minutes, had no shot on target in the first half. Kai Havertz levelled with a glancing header nine minutes after the restart, and Florian Wirtz’s delivery almost produced a winner in normal time. In extra time, Tah thought he had headed Germany in front, only for a lengthy VAR review to disallow the goal for a foul on the goalkeeper. The shootout then unravelled: Havertz, Nick Woltemade and Tah all failed from the spot, leaving Canale to deliver the decisive blow.

In the immediate aftermath, head coach Julian Nagelsmann insisted he would not resign. “I’m not someone who runs away,” he told German broadcaster ZDF, adding that he would prepare for the European Championship and Nations League if the DFB wished. His contract runs until 2028, and DFB sporting director Rudi Völler publicly backed him, calling Nagelsmann “the right person at the right place”. Yet the mood in Germany was far from unified. Former captain Lothar Matthäus told Bild that a new coach was needed, while television pundit Christian Streich argued that both the coach and players had fallen short. Captain Joshua Kimmich accepted full responsibility, saying the players “messed it up”, and Havertz apologised for his second successive World Cup disappointment.

Viewed from Jakarta, the shock resonated as another chapter in Germany’s decline, with Indonesian outlets highlighting Nagelsmann’s admission that his side should have finished the game before penalties. In Asunción, the celebrations were deeply personal: goalkeeper Orlando Gill, named player of the match after saving two spot-kicks, dedicated the award to his seriously ill nephew, revealing he had carried a promise to the boy in his glove. Jürgen Klopp, working as a pundit at the stadium, deflected questions about replacing Nagelsmann, saying it was “not the moment to talk about it”.

Paraguay now advance to a last-16 meeting with either France or Sweden in Philadelphia on 4 July. For Germany, the journey home begins a period of introspection before the Nations League and a home European Championship in 2028, with the federation’s leadership yet to decide whether Nagelsmann will remain at the helm.