FIFA World Cup 2026: Paraguay coach Alfaro hails his "legends" after sealing RO16 qualification with win over Germany
Massachusetts, June 30
Following his side's win over Germany on penalties in their round of 32 fixture, Paraguay head coach Gustavo Alfaro hailed his side, saying that "26 warriors" went out there and came back as "legends".
Germany's post 2014 FIFA World Cup downfall continued as they crashed out in the round of 32 after being ousted in the group stage in their previous two editions.
They suffered their first-ever FIFA World Cup elimination in a penalty shootout, having won each of their previous four shootouts at the tournament.
It was also only their second defeat on penalties at a major international tournament, the first coming against Czechoslovakia in the 1976 UEFA European Championship final (5-3), as per OptaJoe.
Now, Paraguay has a chance to match its best-ever finish of reaching the quarterfinals, which it did in the 2010 World Cup.
Speaking after the match, as quoted by Reuters, "We never believe that we are beaten. Twenty-six warriors went out there, and they came back as legends."
The Argentine coach faced some scrutiny after Paraguay opened their campaign with a 1-4 thrashing to co-hosts the US and scored only one more goal in the other two matches, squeezing into the round of 32 with a win, a loss and a draw, giving them four points, which were enough to give them a spot amongst the best eighth-placed third-finishing teams.
Alfaro also said that the team would have never been prepared for this match had they not learned from the setback against the US.
"If we had not learned from the loss, we would not have been prepared for this match. I told the players that we have lived through an epic evening," he added.
Paraguay opened the scoring with a strike from Julio Enciso in the 42nd minute before Kai Havertz levelled the scores in the 54th minute. The South Americans survived a controversially disallowed goal from VAR and took the match to penalties, with Jose Canale hammering the match-winning kick.
"As things always are with us, we do not do things without suffering," Alfaro said.
"Canale is one of life's champions because he has had to go through a lot of adversity. A night like this is one of the gifts that life can give you. It is divine justice," he signed off.
Paraguay will be playing either France or Sweden on July 4 in their round of 16 match.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Germany's downfall is really something to watch. From World Cup winners in 2014 to getting knocked out in round of 32 now - it's like their golden era is well and truly over. But credit to Paraguay for capitalizing! That VAR controversy was intense though - could have gone either way. Excited to see who they play next - France or Sweden, both tough opponents.
As someone who follows football from India, this is the kind of story that makes the World Cup special. Small nation, big heart. 🏆 Alfaro deserves massive respect for turning things around after that USA loss. In India, we often criticize our coaches too quickly - maybe we need to give them more time like Paraguay did. Also, Kai Havertz scoring for Germany but still losing - shows individual brilliance alone doesn't win matches.
Great performance by Paraguay! That penalty shootout win over Germany is massive for South American football. Alfaro's leadership clearly made a difference after the initial setback. The way he talks about "learning from the loss" is something all teams should follow. Looking forward to their round of 16 match.
Germany's penalty shootout curse finally caught up with them - first time losing one in World Cup history! 😱 But honestly, Paraguay deserved this win. That disallowed goal from VAR was controversial, but they kept their cool and Jose Canale's winning penalty was ice cold. Alfaro calling it "divine justice" for Canale especially - what a beautiful moment for a player who's faced so much adversity. Hope they go all the way to quarterfinals at least!
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