How Germany were handed a World Cup humbling and what it means to Paraguay

At a World Cup of plucky performances and unlikely odds upended, Paraguay have produced a shock for the ages. The South American underdogs held Germany to a 1-1 draw after extra time, then eliminated the four-time world champions on penalties on Monday. Recommended Stories list of 4 items end of list The outcome may well be the greatest upset in World Cup history, given it came in the group stage. Al Jazeera Sport takes a look at what the result means to the two countries. Is this Paraguay’s greatest upset at a World Cup? At the World Cup in 1998, Paraguay were clinging to a 0-0 draw in a last-16 meeting with hosts France in the hope of some penalty shootout magic from goalkeeper Jose Luis Chilavert, but a 114th-minute golden goal by Laurent Blanc dashed that strategy. Twenty-eight years later, Paraguay pulled off what the Chilavert generation could not. Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill saved the efforts of Kai Havertz and Nick Woltemade before Jonathan Tah fired over the bar, and the way was paved for Jose Canale to blast home the decisive spot kick. It was the first time Germany had lost a penalty shootout at the World Cup. Germany’s Jamal Musiala, with teammates, looks dejected after the match as they are eliminated from the World Cup on June 29, 2026 [Pilar Olivares/Reuters] History of heroics from Paraguay’s Gill Gill has some history of his own as a penalty stopper. …