Germany’s World Cup 2026 run ended in the most frustrating way possible — a disallowed goal, a soft foul call, and a penalty shootout they couldn’t win.
It happened in the first half of extra time at Boston Stadium. Bayern Munich defender Jonathan Tah thought he’d put Germany ahead for the first time in the round of 32 tie. He celebrated with teammates. The crowd roared. Then everything stopped.
Paraguay players immediately appealed that goalkeeper Orlando Gill had been fouled. Referee Jalal Jayed waited for the VAR check, then walked over to the pitch-side monitor. After reviewing the play, he made an announcement to the stadium: the goal wouldn’t count. A foul by German substitute Waldemar Anton was the reason.
Alan Shearer, commentating for the BBC, wasn’t buying it.
“Very, very soft,” the former England captain said. “Not for me, I don’t agree with that decision at all. The ‘keeper buys it. Very, very soft, that is.”
The call became the defining moment of the match. Neither team could find a winner in the remaining extra time, forcing the first penalty shootout of the 2026 World Cup.
Paraguay had two chances to close it out before defender Jose Canale stepped up and buried the decisive spot kick. They’ll move on to face the winner of France vs. Sweden in the last 16.
For Germany, the sting goes deeper than one bad call. Their wait to reach a World Cup round of 16 will stretch into a 16th year. That’s a brutal stat for a program that used to treat knockout rounds as a birthright.
And the controversy over Tah’s goal isn’t going away anytime soon. FIFA released a statement explaining that Anton’s contact with Gill was deemed enough to wipe out the goal. But replays showed minimal contact, and Gill appeared to go down looking for the call.
Soft or not, it’s over. Paraguay moves on. Germany heads home. And the debate about how much contact is too much in the box will keep raging for the rest of the tournament.
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