Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- Germany suffered one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history with a penalty shootout loss to Paraguay at Gillette Stadium.
- Public pressure is mounting against the current head coach after a series of disappointing tournaments and this latest embarrassing defeat.
- All signs point toward a dramatic managerial shift for die Mannschaft before their next match in Amsterdam later this year.
Who saw that coming? When the World Cup bracket took shape following the conclusion of the group stages, many were looking forward to a round of 16 clash between old foes Germany and France in Philadelphia on the Fourth of July. However, Paraguay had clearly not been sent this script.
That's because, on Monday afternoon, Paraguay defeated Germany on penalties at Gillette Stadium, with José Canale converting the winning spot-kick. Since the FIFA World Rankings were introduced in '93, this is statistically the fourth-biggest upset in World Cup knockout stage history, with 31 places between the two teams. By this metric, only Russia beating Spain (2018) and South Korea ousting both Spain and Italy (2002) have been bigger shocks, but both those victors were hosts.
So, where does Germany go from here? Well, Die Nationalelf have failed to keep a World Cup clean sheet in 10 attempts since the 2014 final victory at the Maracanã, falling in the last 32 in one form or another each time subsequently. Monday was also the first time ever that Die Mannschaft had lost a World Cup penalty shootout, ending a sequence of six successive victories across all competitions.
Germany's penalty shootout record
Competition | Shootout outcome |
|---|---|
Euro '76 final | Lost 5-4 vs. Czechoslovakia. |
World Cup '82 semi-final | Won 5-4 vs. France. |
World Cup '86 quarter-final | Won 4-1 vs. Mexico. |
World Cup '90 semi-final | Won 4-3 vs. England. |
Euro '96 semi-final | Won 6-5 vs. England. |
World Cup '06 quarter-final | Won 4-2 vs. Argentina. |
Euro 2016 quarter-final | Won 6-5 vs. Italy. |
World Cup 2026 round of 32 | Lost 4-3 vs. Paraguay. |
Prior to Monday, Germany's sole previous penalty shootout defeat came in Belgrade in the final of Euro 1976. That match was settled by Antonín Panenka, who chipped the ball down the middle as Sepp Maier dived to one side, with the Panenka forever named in his honor.
So, what next for Germany? Well, under-fire head coach Nagelsmann had this to say after the match:
"I won’t step down. If the DFB wants me to continue, I’ll continue, but I know how the industry works. I know a lot of people will want me to leave now, but I’ll continue if the DFB wants me to stay... I know that not everyone in Germany will agree with me staying on."
Well, that last part is key. This embarrassing defeat, as well as how poorly Germany played throughout this tournament, means that public pressure is very much against him. Thus, frankly, his position feels untenable, with striker Kai Havertz stating that "the last few tournaments were a disaster."
Well, most German fans have already decided who they would like to see as Nagelsmann's successor, and that is Jürgen Klopp. He has been in attendance for all four of Germany's matches at this tournament as a pundit for MagentaTV, which hasn't helped Nagelsmann's from an optics point of view. Speaking after this defeat, when asked if he'd like the job, Klopp said, "I haven’t thought about that yet, I understand that when the national coach position is discussed, my name is mentioned in some form."
It seems clear, though, that if Klopp wants the job, it is his. Since leaving Liverpool two years ago, the 59-year-old has been working for Red Bull as head of global football, asserting in the past that he does not want to get back into club management but an international role, especially in charge of Germany, would surely interest him. So, right now, it seems the most likely outcome is that Klopp will be in charge of die Mannschaft's next fixture, a UEFA Nations League game against the Netherlands at the Johan Cruijff Arena in Amsterdam on September 24.
More World Cup news and analysis:
Add us as a preferred source on Google