FOXBOROUGH — Paraguay authored a heart-stopping classic to upset Germany in the Round of 32 at Gillette Stadium.
The match had everything: Drama, controversy and it ended with back-and-forth penalty kicks that won’t soon be forgotten. Ultimately, it was the underdogs from Paraguay who advanced 4-3 on penalties in one of the tournament’s biggest stunners thus far.
Here are takeaways from the best 2026 World Cup match in Foxborough:
Following a controversial extra time period — more on that in a moment — everything came down to PKs in Foxborough. After Paraguay jumped out to a 3-2 lead, Germany missed its kick to open the fourth round.
Paraguay had three straight chances to punch its ticket to the Round of 16 — but couldn’t do it initially. With a chance to win it, Paraguay’s Antonio Sanabria missed the net, they allowed a German goal to keep the match going, and in the bottom of the fifth round, a kick from Paraguay’s Fabián Balbuena was saved.
As the momentum swung and an extra round was forced, both fanbases needed anti-nausea medication.
To open the sixth round, Jonathan Tah had the Paraguay keeper beat, but put a ball over the goalpost a la Adam Vinatieri. Then with a chance to walk it off again, Paraguay wasn’t denied, as José Canale buried the game-winner. The fourth time proved to be the charm.
It was unforgettable.
With the match tied 1-1 after 90 minutes, extra time had to be excruciating mentally for the players. With their World Cup chances hanging in the balance, they’ll relive every one of these touches for years, if not the rest of their lives.
Was that through ball the best decision? Could a spinning pass have been corralled differently? Would it be wiser to uncork a shot near the box instead of trying to make an extra pass?
That was amplified even further in penalties.
In a World Cup elimination match, it’s not maybe next year. It’s maybe in four years — or maybe never again, depending on qualifiers.
What an atmosphere.
The Bruins aren’t the only ones to deal with head-scratching goaltender interference calls in Massachusetts this season.
It appeared Germany took a 2-1 lead in extra time on a Jonathan Tah header off a corner kick, but VAR overruled the initial decision. Paraguay goaltender Orlando Gill absorbed some mild contact off the set piece, flopped to the grass, and was rewarded with a goalie interference ruling that wiped the go-ahead goal out. Gill clearly sold the call.
“This foul was not a real foul, it was actually a joke that this goal was disallowed,” German coach Julian Nagelsmann said, via FIFA translation. “But now we are eliminated. We didn’t give it our best today.”
With a 4:30 kickoff and temperatures in the 80s, half of the stadium — the east side — was absolutely baking in the summer sun for much of the afternoon. The players weren’t the only ones that needed hydration breaks.
It got to the point that Robert and Jonathan Kraft vacated their normal seats in the owner’s box and moved back a row into the shade. This heat is not often an issue for Patriots home games, but served as a reminder that football season is well-timed in New England.
Referees are reportedly set to make up to $100,000 for the 2026 World Cup.
It seems appropriate hazard pay for what they’re forced to navigate.
Navigating the barrage of flopping, milked injuries, and screams in multiple languages while the World Cup fate of entire countries hangs in the balance is a tough task.
Two hours before the match, thousands of early arrivals already flooded the concourses at Gillette Stadium. Many of them were glued on the early Brazil-Japan match, in pods of a few dozen at each respective television set. It was a win-win: Some early entertainment and a shady spot to watch on a toasty day in Foxborough.
There was a loud ovation when Brazilian winger Gabriel Martinelli netted the game-winner late in stoppage time.
Because this is the first knockout round match in Foxborough, Germany and Paraguay weren’t locked in as opponents until Friday, Jun. 26. As such, there were plenty of fans who’d purchased tickets before the sides were revealed, and the crowd reflected that.
While there were plenty of German and Paraguayan fans, MassLive also spotted jerseys of other countries’ popular players like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, a ton of Team USA, other host nations Canada and Mexico, French legend and commentator Thierry Henry, and uniforms for alcohol brands Corona and Magners. Some people are just here to have a good time.
This is match No. 6 of the tournament at Foxborough, and FIFA’s attempted re-branding of “Gillette Stadium” to “Boston Stadium” is still eye-roll inducing. There’s something new to notice at every match here.
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