The 2026 FIFA World Cup served its first major upset of the tournament as Germany were knocked out after losing 4-3 on penalties to Paraguay in the Round of 32.
Jonathan Tah smashed his attempt into the stands in sudden death as Jose Canale buried the decisive spot-kick to send the South American minnows through.
Earlier on in the match, Julio Enciso had put the Albirroja in front after 42 minutes with a close-range header before Kai Havertz restored parity for Germany in the second half.
Die Mannschaft were the dominant side in the duel, finishing with 75% possession and a staggering 21 shots - exactly thrice as much as Paraguay, while mustering seven on target too.
But Julian Naglesmann's side couldn't hit the broadside of the barn on the day as the match headed into penalty shootouts, where Germany saw three of their players miss their attempt.
Kai Havertz and Nick Woltemade fail to hit the target during the initial round, though two late misses from Paraguay thew them a lifeline. Tah, though, blazed his shot over in the sixth attempt.
Paraguay were once again in the driving seat now and Canale sent Manuel Neuer the wrong way for his penalty strike, as Germany crashed out.
The loss also marked their first ever in the penalty shootouts at the FIFA World Cup, having always prevailed from this situation before.
BVB's Nmecha started while Anton came off the bench
Once again, Felix Nmecha was the only Borussia Dortmund star in the lineup with Waldemar Anton and Maximilian Beier on the bench. Nmecha was deployed as one of the deep-lying midfielders alongside Alexander Pavlovic but endured a difficult afternoon at the Boston Stadium.
In fact, the 25-year-old completed only nine passes in the opening stanza and also came a cropper in most of his duels. Unlike in Germany's first two games of the tournament where Nmecha was a potent attacking threat, he once again cut a toothless figure going forward as Naglesmann put him out of his misery at the break.
Anton, meanwhile, came off the bench to replace Pavlovic in the 79th minute and played a vital role in beefing up the defense. He made one clearance and interception each while also blocking one shot as the Borussia Dortmund centre-back made sure everything was kosher at the back and Paraguay didn't have any late flourish.
Beier was an unused substitute for the third time in four games.
What next for BVB players?
With Germany knocked out of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the players return home to some time off the pitch before starting the pre-season with their respective clubs. Dortmund stars Nmecha, Anton and Beier could be a given up to a month off following a long season while Nico Schlotterbeck continues his recovery from a hamstring injury.
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