Germany crash out of World Cup on penalties vs Paraguay as Nagelsmann weighs future

Four Germany players refused to take penalties in World Cup shootout defeat

Julian Nagelsmann presided over Germany’s World Cup demise (Picture: Getty) Germany is still reeling from its first ever World Cup penalty shootout defeat, but there is an extra layer of embarrassment to contend with for a nation that has prided itself on its spot kick expertise. Defeat against Paraguay underpinned what was a branded a ‘disaster’ of a campaign by Kai Havertz who was one of three players to fluff their lines from 12 yards. Germany had won six straight major tournament shootouts, including two against England, and none since defeat against the then Czechoslovakia in the final of the 1976 European Championships when Antonín Panenka’s improvisation etched his name into football’s history books for eternity. As if it wasn’t bad enough to exit a World Cup prematurely for the third straight tournament in a row, it has subsequently emerged that four members of Julian Nagelsmann’s squad were reluctant to step forward and spare their nation’s blushes. Don't miss a World Cup moment England updates, match previews and exclusive analysis. Get it all in our daily World Cup newsletter. Sign up. After Paraguay blew two opportunities of their own to win the contest, it was centre-half Jonathan Tah who stepped forward and attempt to swing the momentum further in his side’s failure after Manuel Neuer had saved from Fabian Balbuena.The Bayern Munich defender displayed a fatal lack of composure, however, blasting his effort way over the crossbar, and there was no way back once Jose Canale converted and booked Paraguay’s place in the last 16.According to Bild, Tah had never taken a penalty at professional level before and only took the responsibility upon himself after four of his teammates display signs of reluctance. Leon Goretzka rejected the chance to take a penalty despite Joshua Kimmich’s request (Picture: BBC Sport) Jonathan Tah missed Germany’s sixth and final penalty (Picture: Getty) Leon Goretzka, Waldemar Anton, Nathaniel Brown and Malick Thiaw were all hesitant to take the sixth penalty with the Bayern Munich veteran’s decision perhaps the most surprising. Goretzka, who has represented his country on 72 occasions, was asked twice by his captain and club teammate Joshua Kimmich to step up but he flatly refused. Germany’s early exit, meanwhile triggered brutal headlines and angry commentaries in some of the country’s top media titles.Bild’s front-page headline described the result as ‘The next German football nightmare’ while columnist Marion Horn took strong exception to how Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz had reacted to the defeat. https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=german+yhighlights Merz wrote on his official X account: ‘Even though the elimination hurts: What a game, @DFB_Team! With your commitment and team spirit at this World Cup, you have thrilled our country. We are proud of you.’Horn said the post was a ‘disaster’ and ‘devastating’, adding: ‘The brutal World Cup defeat against Paraguay, the coach, the attitude and the performance of the German players are symptomatic of the state of the entire country.‘We are at best second-class: Our economy is experiencing an unprecedented downward spiral in every respect, with bankruptcies and de-industrialisation on a daily basis.‘And German football is now living solely off its past reputation. And if I’m to believe (1990 World Cup-winning captain) Lothar Matthaus, then within the team, it was a more important issue whose mother was allowed to fly on the private jet and whose wasn’t, than how we would win the cup. Kai Havertz and Germany crashed out of the World Cup following a defeat against Paraguay (Credits: Avalon) Joshua Kimmich apologised to Germany fans (Credits: Shutterstock) ‘And the worst is yet to come. Following the defeat, Chancellor Merz writes: ‘With your commitment and team spirit at this World Cup, you have thrilled our country. We are proud of you’.‘Chancellor, that’s simply not true!!! I will not accept second-rate treatment. I’m not proud. I’m angry. I’m disappointed. I’m furious! Our children only know Germany as a loser!’Die Welt columnist Ulf Poschardt took a similar line, in a piece headlined: ‘Only a successful Germany is worth living in’.Football news outlet Kicker described the result as ‘a damning indictment of German football – and Nagelsmann’. Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source

2 hours ago

Arsenal star Kai Havertz admits Germany ‘messed up’ and calls World Cup campaign ‘a disaster’

Kai Havertz and Germany crashed out of the World Cup following a defeat against Paraguay (Credits: Avalon) Kai Havertz issued full and frank apology to fans of the German national team after an agonising penalty shootout defeat against Paraguay. The Arsenal striker appeared to have dug his side out of a hole when he equalised nine minutes after the restart following Julio Enciso’s first-half opener.Havertz missed a glorious headed opportunity to settle the contest before the end of the 90 minutes but worse was to come. The 27-year-old was one of three Germany players, along with Nick Woltemade and Jonathan Tah, to miss from the spot and help consignGermany to a third consecutive premature World Cup exit. Don't miss a World Cup moment England updates, match previews and exclusive analysis. Get it all in our daily World Cup newsletter. Sign up. ‘I’m speechless,’ said Havertz after his costly error. ‘My second World Cup, and we’ve messed up for the second time. ‘The last few tournaments were a disaster. The only thing I can say is I’m sorry. We players need to take a long, hard look at ourselves. ‘We’re playing for a huge country with a rich football history.’Germany topped their group after thrashing Curacao and secured top spot following an unconvincing comeback win over Ivory Coast. Jonathan Tah missed the decisive penalty in Germany’s defeat (Picture: Getty) Defeat against Ecuador might have provided a warning ahead of another test against obdurate South American opponents but they produced a first-half display that was described as ‘weak’ by BBC pundit Alan Shearer. Der Mannchsaft came close to staging a recovery after the break but ultimately got what they deserved according to skipper Joshua Kimmich.‘It feels terrible,’ said the Bayern Munich star. ‘We didn’t play well against any of our opponents. ‘We struggled badly in all three matches against teams that aren’t world-class. That’s a fact. We deserved to be eliminated.’ Joshua Kimmich apologised to Germany fans (Credits: Shutterstock) In a further interview, he added: ‘We’re playing here to make Germany proud. As a kid, I’ve always watched Germany reach semifinals and finals. ‘We couldn’t give that to the people watching at home. I think people in Germany need something to be proud of at the moment, unfortunately that’s not the national team. ‘We, the players on the pitch, messed up and we assume the responsibility. It wasn’t the coach, it wasn’t the media, it wasn’t the referee, it wasn’t the opponent. It was just us.’ Julian Nagelsmann has vowed to carry on as Germany head coach (Credits: REUTERS) A full-scale inquest is already underway and the future of head coach Julian Nagelsmann will likely be determined in the coming weeks. The former Bayern Munich head coach was asked whether he planned to continue in his role and said: ‘I’m not someone who runs away. I’m available if that’s what the DFB wants. ‘If they don’t want me, they need to tell me. I want to continue. In football, you don’t have complete control. ‘If the DFB wants me to, I’d be happy to prepare for the Euros and the Nations League. If they don’t want me to, they need to say it.’ Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source

6 hours ago

Julian Naglesmann blunt on his Germany future after nightmare World Cup exit

It was a disastrous night for Julian Nagelsmann in Massachusetts (Picture: Getty Images) Julian Nagelsmann did not step down after Germany’s shock World Cup exit at the hands of Paraguay, but left the decision in the hands of the German FA. After a 1-1 draw in Boston the last 32 contest went to a penalty shootout, which provided plenty of drama in a short space of time. Kai Havertz and Nick Woltemade saw their efforts saved by Orlando Gill, but then Antonio Sanabria and Fabian Balbuena both missed, sending the shootout to sudden death. Jonathan Tah sent a terrible effort over the bar, allowing Jose Canale to step up and score the winning penalty. Don't miss a World Cup moment England updates, match previews and exclusive analysis. Get it all in our daily World Cup newsletter. Sign up. While there was not great optimism in Germany over their chances of winning the World Cup, falling at the last 32 stage to Paraguay is a disastrous performance. The tournament started so well for Nagelsmann’s side when they hammered Curacao 7-1 and beat Ivory Coast 2-1 in their first two matches. A surprise defeat to Ecuador followed in the final group stage and now the nightmare against Paraguay, which saw Julio Enciso open the scoring before a Havertz equaliser and then the nerve-shredding shootout. Paraguay face France or Sweden next (Picture: Getty Images) It is hard to see Nagelsmann continuing in his role from here, but he will not be resigning, pointing to his contract which runs till 2028. ‘I’m available. If they want me to stay until 2028, I will. And if they don’t want me to, I’ll go,’ he said. Analysing the game, he said: ‘Our possession was very slow overall. At some point, we resorted to a brute-force approach. In the end, you still have to beat Paraguay. Nagelsmann is unlikely to have a future as Germany coach (Picture: Getty Images) ‘We had control, but we lacked the cutting edge. We had hardly any presence in the penalty area with our two strikers. Especially in the opening minutes, we didn’t win any duels in the opposition’s box.’ Jurgen Klopp is seen as the obvious successor to Nagelsmann as Germany boss and he was quick to criticise the performance. ‘You have to attack down the wings. There’s no alternative. We all know how well these guys can play, but they didn’t bring that to the pitch,’ the former Liverpool boss said in his role as a TV pundit. Jurgen Klopp is on punditry duty at the World Cup (Picture: Getty Images) He added that it could need structural change at the German FA, having exited at the previous two group stages. ‘We can talk about the DFB (German Football Association). We absolutely have to change a few things,’ said Klopp. ‘We can start with the U10s and wait a few years to see what the results are.’ Nagelsmann took charge of Germany in 2023, losing to Spain in the quarter-finals of Euro 2024 in his previous tournament at the helm. Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source

12 hours ago