Julian Nagelsmann has no intention of resigning as Germany head coach following their World Cup exit and described the decision to disallow a late goal from Jonathan Tah against Paraguay as a “complete scandal”.
Germany looked to have won the round of 32 tie late in the first half of extra time when Tah nodded home Nathaniel Brown’s corner only for Moroccan referee Jalal Jayed and the VAR to decide Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill had been impeded by Waldemar Anton as the cross came in.
It looked extremely soft and Germany’s frustration was compounded when they lost their first-ever World Cup penalty shoot-out 4-3 after the game finished 1-1.
Kai Havertz, Nick Woltemade and Tah all missed as the South Americans, who offered little over the 120 minutes bar Julio Enciso’s goal, progressed to a meeting with either France or Sweden.
Germany boss Nagelsmann furious over nature of exit
While Paraguay wait to discover their round of 16 opponents, Germany will head home, although Nagelsmann was not willing to go quietly and was eager to express his disgust at seeing Tah’s header ruled out.
He told ZDF: “It’s a scandal that he gave the free-kick, it’s a complete scandal. There are games you have to win dirty and we would have won that dirty.”
Asked if was considering walking away, he replied: “No, I am available. I am not one to shy away.”
Havertz, who scored Germany’s equaliser in the second half of normal time, was quick to back the under-pressure former Bayern Munich boss, adding: “We play for such a big country, us players have to take the responsibility.”
Dour Paraguay edge through
Paraguay may have to alter their gameplan if they play France following a dreadfully negative display. They defended superbly but their tactic of containment and frustration – coupled with the dark arts of time-wasting and simulation – is unlikely to work against the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Michael Olise.
Nevertheless, Les Bleus can wait for another day as they celebrate a famous win.
Gill told FIFA.com: “An immense thrill. It was a tough match. We managed to hold on. We opened the scoring, they equalised, but then we managed to keep it up.
“Obviously, we analysed every player and every detail of the penalty takers. Thank God I was able to save two penalties. This is a privilege; we eliminated a champion. This is dedicated to all Paraguayans.”
Defender Gustavo Gomez added: “I think the feeling is hard to explain. I’m very proud of my team-mates, of the group.
“I think I said in the last interview that this group deserved one more game, and with everything we’ve been through, I’m most impressed by our unity. We have incredible strength to face any situation. Germany knew they needed to work incredibly hard to beat us.”
