Germany, Netherlands pay dearly for penalty woes

Paraguay’s players celebrate after producing one of the biggest shocks the World Cup has ever seen to defeat Germany on penalties. (EPA Images pic)

South America and Africa continued to dominate this first truly global World Cup.

A pair of Europe’s traditional heavyweights lost their nerve from the spot and were knocked out of the tournament amid almost unimaginable drama.

Both games were hard-fought affairs, kept alive by the frenzied atmosphere, but the real excitement came in the shootouts. Fortunes fluctuated wildly with embarrassing misses as the tension rose and keepers stood tall.

Here’s what we learnt.

1. We live in uncertain times: even Germany can lose on penalties! 

Nothing is safe anymore. Germany shocked the world by crashing out at the group stage of the last two World Cups. This time they got through but lost in a penalty shootout! Given its dead-eye record, this is even higher on the Richter Scale.

The last and only time they lost one was 50 years ago! Not since the iconic “Panenka” penalty in the Euros final in 1976 had Germany been beaten in a major final shootout.

Then Czechoslovakia’s Antonin Panenka chipped into the centre of the goal with keeper Sepp Maier helpless, having dived. The name has stuck, but no one dared to try that in Boston today: there was too much riding on it.

So Paraguay advances to enjoy the greatest day in its football history as the Germans go home early for the third World Cup in a row.

2. Near-perfect record from Panenka to Paraguay! 

They had a near-perfect shootout record, winning six of the seven they’d faced.

In the World Cup, they had won four: in 1982, they beat France 5-4; in 1986, they beat Mexico 4-1; in 1990, they beat England 4-3, and in 2006, they beat Argentina 4-2.

In total, the penalties resulted in 18 shots on net, of which they’ve only missed once.

But in 2026, Paraguay beat them 4-3. Gary Lineker’s famous definition of football had already been deleted. “Football is a simple game. Twenty-two men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans always win,” he said.

Now they can’t even shoot straight.

3. Gill is good enough to wear gloves of Chilavert 

Plucked almost from obscurity before the tournament began, Paraguay keeper Orlando Gill turned superhero, saving two penalties to inspire a shock win for the South American side. (EPA Images pic)

Paraguay has a worthy successor to Jose Luis Chilavert.

Orlando Gill is built very differently. He has height – being two metres tall – instead of weight, and a reach long enough to save two German penalties.

The 26-year-old became a national hero with his display to defy Germany and take Paraguay deeper into the World Cup than they’ve ever been.

The small South American nation, sandwiched between Brazil and Argentina, has finally earned its own moment of glory with an epic rearguard display.

Gill had distinguished himself before the shootout and earned the cancellation of a goal awarded against him after he’d been knocked to the ground. Critics claimed it was soft, but a keeper doesn’t fall just as he’s about to reach for an incoming corner. Gill deserved his moment of glory.

4. He will never have to sell his kit now 

Unlike Chilavert, who famously scored eight goals for his country by taking penalties and free-kicks, Gill just keeps them out.

And he also has a back story. Eight years ago, he was playing amateur football and had to sell some of his goalkeeping equipment to pay the bills. Even last year, he was a reserve keeper for San Lorenzo de Almagro in the Argentine Primera Division.

When Chilavert retired in 2004, he left a huge hole in the team and Paraguayan football. Known as The Bulldog, his bark was fearsome, but his bite saw him score four of his eight international goals in World Cup qualifiers in 2002.

They’ve been looking for a replacement ever since. In qualifying, they tried six keepers, including one, Roberto Junior Fernandez, known as The Kitten.

But in Orlando Gill, they have found someone fit to wear Chilavert’s gloves. When the penalty shootout began, it was impossible not to think of the former hero who would have had a busy time in the shootout. But he couldn’t have done better than his young successor.

5. Tah goes from hero to villain in less than an hour 

Germany’s Jonathan Tah fluffed a penalty as his team failed to advance to the quarterfinals, losing 3-4 in the shootout to Paraguay. (EPA Images pic)

The World Cup moves fast. But can anyone have fallen from hero to villain faster than Jonathan Tah?

In the first half of extra-time, the giant centre-back was being lauded for heading Germany into the next round. Alas for him and his country, the ‘goal’ was disallowed for a push on Paraguay keeper Orlando Gill.

Less than an hour later, Tah was hanging his head in shame after sending a death-or-glory penalty over the bar – and his country to a shock defeat. Paraguay duly scored and that was that. Twisting the knife was that Germany felt the goal should have stood and none of the torture should have happened.

6. Another big goal for incisive Enciso 

Julio Enciso celebrates after scoring with a header late in the first half of Paraguay’s World Cup 2026 round of 32 match against Germany. (EPA Images pic)

Julio Enciso is no stranger to memorable goals. His spectacular strike against treble-winning Manchester City was the EPL’s Goal of the 2022-23 season and was nominated for the Puskás Award.

But his header that gave Paraguay an unlikely lead against Germany was truly historic. It was the first goal the South American nation had ever scored in the knockout phase of the World Cup.

But an injury early in the second half threatened to turn his day on its head. He was never the same after a meniscus injury saw him miss six months at Brighton before he was sold to Strasbourg.

The injury stopped Chelsea from buying him, so many feared the worst. But he’d already got his head on the end of a cross from Matias Galarza to give his side that vital lead. As it turned out, it was the foundation of a famous victory. Hopefully, he’ll recover in time for the next round.

7. Atlas Man-Mountain Diop to the rescue 

Staring at defeat despite having the better of a hard-fought encounter with the Netherlands, Morocco needed a big goal. They’d squandered countless chances and Bart Verbruggen had also defied them.

Step forward a big man. Man-mountain Issa Diop rose to head home a cross with time running out to save the Atlas Lions.

France-born Diop is one of 19 players who were born outside Morocco. But ever since the Moroccan Football Federation began identifying dual-national talent across Europe, their fortunes have risen.

Successes at junior levels have been matched by the senior side reaching the semi-finals in 2022 and now the last 16 this year. Next time, they are one of the co-hosts. How far can they go?

8. Who is writing this script?

Shock after shock. Underdog stories. Giants felled. Unlikely heroes. Heartbreak stories. And now a story to melt a heart of stone.

Of all the 1,248 players at this World Cup, the one the neutrals most wanted to get a goal today had to be Cody Gakpo.

Cody Gakpo put aside a family tragedy to score his third goal of the tournament, although it was not enough to save the Netherlands from elimination by Morocco on penalties. (EPA Images pic)

The Netherlands and Liverpool winger had just suffered a tragedy worse than any injury – the death of his unborn son. Gakpo and partner Noa van der Bij were expecting a second child together, due in October.

On Saturday. the couple posted this message: “With broken hearts, we share the devastating news that our baby boy passed away during pregnancy.

“Thank you for your love and support. Elijah Raphael Gakpo. Forever loved. Forever our son.”

Netherlands head coach Ronald Koeman left it to Gakpo to decide if he wanted to stay at the tournament. He did. And, when he added another goal to the two he’d already scored in the tournament, to give his side a second-half lead against Morocco, the tears flowed. An opportunist strike, too, cutting in from the left to seize a loose ball after confusion in the Moroccan defence.

Alas, it was not enough as Morocco won the shoot-out. But, as Virgil van Dijk said of Gakpo’s tragedy: “It’s terrible. At such a moment it becomes clear again that football is a side issue.”