FOXBOROUGH, Massachusetts - Paraguay coach Gustavo Alfaro declared his squad football legends following a dramatic penalty shootout victory over Germany on Monday, a stunning reversal after a tournament-opening thrashing.
Alfaro’s team squeezed into the knockout rounds after losing 4-1 to the United States, but they held Germany to a 1-1 draw over 120 minutes before winning the shootout 4-3. The result handed the four-time world champions their first-ever World Cup penalty shootout loss.
“Twenty-six warriors went out there and they came back as legends,” Alfaro said. He credited the discipline learned from the US defeat as essential preparation for the historic night.
Julio Enciso opened the scoring against the run of play with a 42nd-minute header, but Kai Havertz equalized in the 54th. Paraguay survived a disallowed German goal to force penalties.
Jose Canale hammered home the winning kick, securing victory after two teammates missed. Alfaro offered special praise for Canale, whose career has been marked by adversity across multiple clubs. “Canale is one of life’s champions... A night like this is divine justice,” the coach said.
Paraguay advances to the round of 16 on July 4 to face either France or Sweden.