José Canale’s emphatic spot-kick settled a wild shootout in Foxborough and delivered the most jarring result of the 2026 World Cup so far: Germany, four-time champions and masters of the tournament penalty, eliminated by Paraguay in the round of 32. The 4-3 shootout win, after 120 minutes of stalemate, marked the first time Germany have ever lost a World Cup penalty contest, snapping a perfect record that stretched back to 1982. Orlando Gill, the 25-year-old goalkeeper who had already been the immovable object through extra time, saved from Kai Havertz and Nick Woltemade, before Jonathan Tah blazed over to leave Canale with the chance he buried past Manuel Neuer.

The match had pivoted on moments of high tension and fine margins. Julio Enciso, later forced off injured, headed Paraguay into a surprise lead three minutes before half-time, converting Matías Galarza’s cross after a corner was only half-cleared. Germany, who dominated possession throughout and finished with over 75 per cent of the ball, levelled nine minutes after the restart when Havertz glanced in Florian Wirtz’s delivery. The European side thought they had won it in extra time when Tah powered in a header from a corner, but Moroccan referee Jalal Jayed disallowed the goal after a VAR review showed Waldemar Anton had obstructed Gill. The decision, fiercely contested by Germany’s bench and later criticised by former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp on German television, preserved the deadlock and forced the shootout.

Viewed from Berlin, the exit extends a grim pattern. Since lifting the trophy in 2014, Germany have failed to reach the last 16 in three consecutive World Cups, having suffered group-stage eliminations in 2018 and 2022. German media described the result as a “new nightmare” and questioned coach Julian Nagelsmann’s selections, including the recall of the 40-year-old Neuer and the persistence with an attack that, despite overwhelming territorial control, managed only seven shots on target. Captain Joshua Kimmich told reporters his side “fully deserved to go out”, acknowledging they had struggled against opponents who were not “world class”. In Asunción, the reaction was one of catharsis. Gustavo Alfaro, the Argentine coach who has built a Paraguay side around defensive organisation and counter-attacking opportunism, said the performance was “extraordinary” and that the shootout drama confirmed a national trait: “It seems if we don’t suffer, it doesn’t count.”

Paraguay, who had scored only once in five previous World Cup knockout matches, now advance to a last-16 meeting with either France or Sweden in Philadelphia. For Germany, the inquest will be long and loud. The result leaves the tournament without one of its historic heavyweights before the second week, while Paraguay, ranked 41st in the world, carry the flag of South America’s less heralded nations into the next round.