Paraguay defeats Germany in penalty shootout, goalkeeper Gil makes two saves
Germany 1-1 Paraguay.
Penalty shootout, 3-4.
The match was not decided in 120 minutes.
Germany kept possession and controlled the game.
Paraguay packed players in the middle to eliminate space.
In extra time, Germany finally found the back of the net.
However, it was overturned by a VAR decision.
And then came the first penalty shootout of the tournament.
Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gil saved Germany's first and fourth attempts.
Victory had almost slipped away once.
Germany survived at the very last moment.
Even so, in the end, Jose Canale buried it into the top right corner, and four-time world champion Germany was eliminated in the Round of 32.
Paraguay endured 120 minutes and emerged victorious in the intense penalty shootout.
Chapter 1: Single-Elimination
Round of 32.
From here on, if you lose, the tournament is over.
If it is not decided in 90 minutes, it goes to extra time.
If the score still does not change, it proceeds to a penalty shootout.
Germany is a powerhouse that boasts four World Cup titles.
Although they were defeated by Ecuador in the group stage, they advanced to the Round of 32.
Meanwhile, Paraguay's strengths are their defensive solidity and fast vertical attacks.
It was expected that Germany would take control of the game.
What Paraguay needed was not just to retreat into their own half.
While letting the opponent have the ball, where should they win it back?
After winning it, who should they use to move forward?
How should they convert limited chances into goals?
It was a match where that design was put to the test.
Chapter 2: Germany dominates possession
As the match began, Germany held possession of the ball.
They connected passes in midfield.
They spread the play to the left and right.
While shifting Paraguay's defensive block, they looked for space to enter the center.
A defensive block is a way of defending where players keep close distances to each other and close off dangerous areas as a unit.
Paraguay did not recklessly dive into Germany's passes.
They guided the play to the outside.
They closed in the moment the ball entered the center.
They blocked the shooting lanes.
Germany had the ball.
However, they could not completely break down Paraguay's defense.
Possession and clear-cut chances are not the same thing.
Even if you have the ball, you cannot score if you cannot get past the opponent in front of the goal.
Chapter 3: Paraguay endures
Early in the match, Paraguay threatened the opponent's goal from a corner kick.
After that, they spent a long time on the defensive.
Germany shook them from side to side.
Paraguay's players shifted accordingly.
When the ball moved to the right, the whole team shifted right, and when it was spread to the left, they all moved back together.
Even if one player was beaten, the next player covered.
They put their bodies on the line in front of the goal.
They cleared the opponent's crosses.
They also reacted to loose balls.
In the knockout stage, this steady defense becomes the foundation for victory.
Honestly, I did not think they could maintain this level of concentration against Germany's attack.
Paraguay increased the intensity of their defense as the match progressed.
Chapter 4: Enciso finishes it
42nd minute.
It was as the first half was nearing its end.
Paraguay attacked from the right side.
Matias Galarza sent in a cross.
Julio Enciso was left completely unmarked in front of the goal.
He didn't strike it hard with his head.
Using the momentum of the ball, he redirected it to the far post.
The shot was sucked into a spot beyond the reach of the German defense and the goalkeeper.
0-1.
Paraguay, who had been under pressure, took the lead.
The far post is the side of the goal furthest from where the ball came.
Enciso headed the ball in a way that caught the opponent off guard.
For Paraguay, this was their first-ever goal in the World Cup knockout stage.
They turned a rare chance into history with a single strike.
Chapter 5: Germany catches up
From the start of the second half, Germany's attacks became even faster.
They didn't think after receiving the ball.
They received it with the next passing lane already identified.
They moved the ball before Paraguay's defense could get organized.
54th minute.
Florian Wirtz sent a cross in from the left side.
Kai Havertz was the one who ran into the center.
He lightly touched it with his head and directed it to the far post.
1-1.
It was a similar setup to Enciso's opening goal.
Instead of striking it hard, he changed the direction of the ball.
He steered it into the opposite corner from where the goalkeeper was moving.
It was a header packed with technique.
Germany brought the match back to level terms.
Chapter 6: Ace substituted due to injury
About 10 minutes after the equalizer.
An accident occurred for Paraguay.
Enciso, who scored the opening goal, was injured and left the pitch.
It was a painful substitution for Paraguay.
Enciso does more than just score goals.
He carries the ball forward.
He draws opponents in.
He becomes a breakthrough point for counterattacks.
For a team that spends a long time defending, a player who can hold the ball up front becomes crucial.
If they can create even a little time, the defensive players can push the line up.
They lost Enciso.
From here on, Paraguay will face an even more difficult time.
Chapter 7: Germany goes on the offensive with substitutions
Germany brought on Jamal Musiala and Nick Woltemade, aiming for a comeback.
Musiala can handle the ball even in tight spaces.
He gets between opponents and beats one with his dribbling.
Woltemade adds height and strength to the front line.
Germany increased their attacking options through these substitutions.
Wirtz on the left.
Musiala on the right.
Havertz and Woltemade enter the center.
Paraguay's defense cannot rely on just moving laterally.
They must respond to dribbles, prepare for crosses, and also neutralize the height in front of the goal.
Even so, the score did not change.
90 minutes are up.
The match enters the first extra time of the tournament.
Chapter 8: The onslaught in extra time
Even in extra time, Germany controlled the ball.
Fatigue was visible in the Paraguayan players.
Their steps to close down the opposition were becoming slower.
The distance of their clearances was also shortening.
Germany did not miss this opportunity and continued their attacks.
Wirtz initiated plays from the left flank.
On the right flank, Musiala drew the opponents in.
They sent in crosses.
Even when the ball was cleared, they picked up the second ball.
Paraguay was pushed back in front of their own goal.
Even so, they refused to let them cross the final line.
Even when they could no longer run, they threw their bodies on the line.
They did not lose their marks.
The determination to fight for 120 minutes was evident in their defense.
Chapter 9: Germany's goal vanishes
Extra time.
Germany takes a corner kick from the right.
The kicker is Nathaniel Brown.
Jonathan Tah connected with the ball sent to the far post.
The net ripples.
Germany had turned the game around.
That is what it seemed.
However, a VAR review was initiated.
Waldemar Anton had made contact with goalkeeper Gil during a scramble in front of the goal.
The ruling was a foul.
The goal was disallowed.
Paraguay was saved.
In set-piece situations, it is not just the player who touches the ball that is checked.
The player who obstructed the goalkeeper's movement.
The player who pushed an opponent.
The player who was involved in the play from an offside position.
The entire sequence leading up to the goal is reviewed.
Germany's joy vanished in an instant.
Chapter 10: The first penalty shootout of the tournament
120 minutes have ended.
1-1.
The match was taken to a penalty shootout.
In a penalty shootout, it is not just technique but mental strength that is tested.
The distance to the goal is 11 meters.
It looks close.
However, this is a winner-take-all match in the World Cup.
A miss leads to elimination.
The pressure is different from usual.
The goalkeeper predicts where the opponent will kick.
The run-up.
The direction of the plant foot.
The gaze.
Past penalty data.
Using all available information, they decide which direction to dive in an instant.
Paraguay had analyzed the German kickers down to the smallest detail.
That preparation took shape in the penalty shootout.
Chapter 11: Gil saves two
Germany goes first.
The first kicker is Havertz.
The man who scored the goal sets the ball again.
But Gil saved it.
Paraguay takes the advantage from the start.
Furthermore, Gil also stopped the penalty from Germany's fourth kicker, Woltemade.
Two saves.
Even just one penalty save by a goalkeeper is a huge job.
Gil did it twice.
Read the opponent's habits.
Do not move until just before the kick.
Once you decide on a direction, dive without hesitation.
A penalty shootout is not just about luck.
It requires preparation, reaction, and the strength not to flinch before the opponent does.
Gil became Paraguay's guardian deity on this stage.
Chapter 12: Letting victory slip away
Paraguay reached the point where a goal would mean victory.
The fourth kicker, Antonio Sanabria.
If he scores, it's over.
However, the shot missed.
The following fifth kicker, Fabian Balbuena, was stopped by German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.
Germany survived.
The victory Paraguay had within its grasp began to slip through its fingers.
This is the terror of a penalty shootout.
A single mistake can change the momentum.
The opponent comes back to life.
The atmosphere in the stadium shifts.
Germany has a history of having survived many such desperate situations as world champions.
For Paraguay, it was the most difficult moment.
Chapter 13: Canale seals it
Germany's sixth kicker was Tah.
He took his run-up and swung his right foot.
The shot missed the target.
Once again, the opportunity for victory came to Paraguay.
The sixth kicker was Jose Canale.
If he scores here, they win.
Canale did not hesitate.
He buried it into the top right corner of the net.
Neuer couldn't reach it either.
The match was over.
Penalty shootout 3-4.
Paraguay defeated Germany.
The players rushed onto the pitch all at once.
They endured 120 minutes.
They had let victory slip away once during the penalty shootout.
Even so, they did not break until the very end.
Paraguay's unity swallowed up the four-time world champions.
Chapter 14: What Germany lacked
Germany controlled the ball for long periods.
They also used the flanks effectively.
They increased their attacking options through substitutions.
Even so, they did not create many clear-cut chances from open play.
Goalkeeper Neuer also admitted after the match that they lacked sharpness in the final phase of breaking down the defense.
Connecting passes.
Entering the opponent's half.
Sending in crosses.
They were able to do all of that.
However, they lacked the final move to completely unlock Paraguay's defense.
Havertz also said that they were always missing something.
You cannot win just by attacking beautifully.
When the opponent sets up a defensive block, who will break through in a one-on-one?
Who will get to the ball before the opponent in front of the goal?
Who will pick up the loose ball?
In the knockout stages, those details determine who is eliminated.
Chapter 15: Victory seized through unity
Paraguay did not have the ball longer than Germany.
They did not create many clear-cut chances either.
Yet, they won.
Enciso capitalizes on a rare chance.
Even after being caught, they do not break their defensive block.
Even when their ace is injured, everyone fills the gap.
In extra time, even when their legs are giving out, they put their bodies on the line.
In the penalty shootout, Gil makes two saves.
Even when victory seemed to be slipping away, Canale scores the final goal.
It is not just the strength of one person.
When someone struggles, the next player supports them.
The "unity" that Gustavo Gomez spoke of was clearly visible on the pitch.
Germany 1-1 Paraguay.
Penalty shootout 3-4.
Paraguay has eliminated the four-time world champions from the tournament.
Their next opponent is the winner of France vs. Sweden.
Even tougher battles await.
Still, a team that has overcome these 120 minutes might just make something happen again.
In the World Cup, the team with the ball does not always win.
Endure.
Finish.
Prepare.
Believe until the very end.
Once you can see that far, it's not just the individual penalty kicks that become interesting, but the entire 120 minutes leading up to them.
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