History made! Bobadilla stars as Paraguay knock Germany out of World Cup | OneFootball

Paraguay produced the first big upset of this World Cup knockout stage by eliminating powerhouse Germany on penalties this Monday (29), after a 1-1 draw.

Paraguay’s qualification came through grit and suffering. The team had only 25% possession, but held off the Germans for more than 120 minutes, taking the match to extra time before the shootout.

And Paraguay struck first, still in the first half. São Paulo defensive midfielder Bobadilla won the ball back brilliantly in midfield, and the move ended with a header from Enciso in the 42nd minute of the opening half.

Forward Havertz equalized for Germany just 9 minutes into the second half, making it seem like things were about to go wrong for the South Americans. But Paraguay, in the best Libertadores fighting spirit, managed to take the match to penalties, although not before a scare: a goal by Tah in extra time, correctly ruled out for a foul on the goalkeeper.

After a terrible start to the World Cup, with an own goal in the opener and the loss of his starting spot, Bobadilla returned to Paraguay’s starting XI and put in a strong performance in this round-of-32 clash.

The São Paulo man played 99 minutes, completed the only cross he attempted, and 13 of the 17 passes he made in the match. Boba delivered an incredible 17 defensive actions, with eight clearances, three interceptions, and winning five of his six ground duels. He recovered not only his place in the team, but also his confidence for the rest of the tournament.

Four-time champions, Germany are heading home early. They did not arrive as one of the top favorites, but it is still disappointing to go out so soon. Paraguay now awaits the winner of the all-European clash between France and Sweden to find out its opponent in the World Cup round of 16.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.