Germany and Paraguay settle Round of 16 spot in penalty shootout at World Cup

In the Round of 16 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Germany and Paraguay went to a penalty shootout, where Paraguay won 3:2. On the same day, Brazil defeated Japan 2:1, scoring the winning goal in the fifth minute of extra time. The day's final major match will bring together the Netherlands and Morocco.

Multiple thrilling Round of 16 matches were held on Monday at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with the most tense ending in a penalty shootout. Paraguay defeated Germany in a penalty shootout 3:2 and secured a place in the quarter-finals.

Brazil and Japan opened the day

In the day's first match, Brazil faced Japan. Brazil fell behind in the first half but managed to turn the situation around and scored the winning goal in the fifth minute of extra time, ultimately winning 2:1.

Germany and Paraguay's dramatic penalty shootout

The battle between Germany and Paraguay was full of dramatic twists. In regular time, a goal was scored by Jonathan Tah from a header off a Nathaniel Brown corner, but it was cancelled after a VAR review, as the referee found that Waldemar Anton committed a foul on the goalkeeper during the corner. Kai Havertz, a legend of London's Arsenal, opened the scoring, sending the ball into the net with a header from Florian Wirtz's cross. The score remained 1:1 and the match went to a penalty shootout.

In the penalty shootout, Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill made one save. Germany started the penalty-taking with Havertz, who sent the ball into the left corner. The shootout ultimately led to Paraguay's victory 3:2, with Galarza scoring the decisive penalty into the left corner, while Germany's goalkeeper Manuel Neuer guessed the wrong corner.

Germany's penalty shootout history

Historically, Germany has been extraordinarily successful in penalty shootouts, winning six of seven shootouts in major tournaments, including all four World Cup penalty shootouts. The only loss comes from the 1976 European Championship, where they lost to Czechoslovakia 5:7. Paraguay has previously participated in only one World Cup penalty shootout, defeating Japan 5:3 in the round of 16 in 2010.

The evening's biggest clash awaits

In the day's final match, the Netherlands will face Morocco, which finished fourth at the 2022 World Cup, making this match considered the day's most intriguing.