FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — In one of the most stunning upsets in recent World Cup history, 26-year-old rookie goalkeeper Orlando Gill steered massive underdog Paraguay past four-time tournament champion Germany in a tense Round of 32 penalty shootout, sending the football powerhouse packing earlier than expected and cementing his name in World Cup Cinderella lore.
Gill, who stepped onto the World Cup’s global stage for the very first time this tournament, admitted he entered the knockout-round opener starstruck even as he acknowledged Paraguay’s status as heavy 5-to-1 underdogs against the favored German side. But when the final whistle of extra time sent the match to penalties, the 6-foot-6 shot-stopper, who plies his club trade with Argentina’s San Lorenzo, outperformed German legend and long-time world-class keeper Manuel Neuer to secure Paraguay’s spot in the Round of 16.
Gill’s path to this upset victory started in the group stage, where he notched clean sheets in a 1-0 win over Turkey and a scoreless draw against Australia, though he conceded four goals in a group-stage matchup with the United States. Against Germany, the underdog was thoroughly outplayed for most of 120 minutes of regulation and extra time: Germany held more than double the possession that Paraguay managed, and put 21 shots on goal compared to Paraguay’s seven. Even Gill described the relentless German pressure as something out of a nightmare.
“It was like a horror movie. Germans were popping up everywhere. Even I still can’t believe it,” Gill said in a post-match interview.
Standing opposite Gill was Neuer, a 30-plus year veteran competing in his fifth World Cup, who led Germany to its 2014 World Cup title, finished third in 2014 Ballon d’Or voting behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, and claimed two Champions League titles and 13 Bundesliga championships with Bayern Munich. Gill made clear he holds nothing but respect for the German icon, who he called an idol.
“Neuer is a world-class goalkeeper. I shared a shootout with him, and he managed to save a penalty, too. I have nothing but respect for an idol like him,” Gill said.
Gill only made one notable misstep in regulation, letting in Kai Havertz’s 54th-minute equalizer to force extra time. A late German would-be game-winner in the 12th minute of extra time was ultimately disallowed after VAR review found Waldemar Anton interfered with Gill before Jonathan Tah could put the ball in the net.
When the match moved to penalties, Gill seized the moment to earn his man of the match honors. He gave Paraguay an immediate advantage by stopping Havertz’s first spot kick with a quick deflection off his right arm. After Paraguay converted its first three penalties to jump to a 3-2 lead, Gill notched a second save, this time stopping Nick Woltemade’s attempt. That left Paraguay needing just one successful conversion from its final two kicks to win, but the underdogs stumbled: Antonino Sanabria sent his kick wide left, and Neuer stopped Fabian Balbuena’s attempt to force sudden death.
In the first round of sudden death, Tah sent his penalty over the crossbar, and Jose Canale beat Neuer to slot home the game-winning kick, sealing the historic upset.
Gill, who will next face the winner of the France vs. Sweden matchup on Saturday in Philadelphia, spoke of the result as proof that small underdog nations can compete with soccer’s powerhouses. “It showed that you shouldn’t speak too soon. This proves that Paraguay is capable of achieving great things. The opportunity was bound to come sooner or later,” he said. “Now, with a cool head, I’m going to sit down and analyze what we’ve achieved. We managed to hold on until the 120th minute, and luck was on our side during the shootout.”
For Germany, the shocking exit extends a more than decade-long streak of knockout-stage disappointment. The four-time champions have now exited in the group stage of the past two World Cups, and fell in the Round of 32 in this tournament, having not won a knockout match since their 2014 World Cup final victory.
“You talk about expectations: It is 11 or 12 years and we have come up short. It’s not enough for German football,” Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann said after the defeat.
Midfielder Nadiem Amiri acknowledged the squad has a talented core of young players that could deliver results in future tournaments, but said that was little comfort in the immediate aftermath of the upset.
“But in the moment to think about the future is, I think, the wrong decision. I feel for everybody, very sad. It was a shocking end from the game. At the moment, it’s very difficult to find the right words,” Amiri said.