Boston Stadium hosted the third match of the Round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup, a clash between Germany and Paraguay. After a 1–1 draw, Paraguay prevailed 4–3 in the penalty shootout, eliminating the Germans from the tournament.
At the start of the match, both teams created good chances, but gradually it was Germany who took control through possession and imposed their dominance. While Paraguay played a very defensive, compact style, they took the lead in the 42nd minute with a header from Julio Enciso, making things more difficult for the Germans. In the closing minutes of the half, Germany created more dangerous chances, but they could not convert, and the teams went into halftime with Paraguay leading 1–0.
With the start of the second half, Germany pushed forward in search of an equalizer, while Paraguay looked for counterattacks. In the 50th minute, Joshua Kimmich’s mistake almost led to Enciso scoring his second goal, but Manuel Neuer saved Germany. In the 54th minute, a brilliant cross from Florian Wirtz was headed into the corner of the net by Kai Havertz, bringing Germany level at 1–1.
After the equalizer, Germany struggled to create many clear chances until the 78th minute, when another header from Havertz was saved by Orlando Gill. In the 88th minute, Nick Woltemade was introduced for the first time in the tournament, replacing Leroy Sané. However, these changes did not produce a winning goal in normal time, and the match went into extra time.
In the first period of extra time, the shift of Joshua Kimmich into midfield and the presence of Woltemade had an impact on Germany’s play, and in the 102nd minute they thought they had taken the lead. Nathaniel Brown’s corner was headed in by Jonathan Tah, but after a VAR review, the referee ruled out the goal due to a foul by Waldemar Anton on the goalkeeper. Germany’s last chance in this period was another header from Havertz, which was saved with difficulty by Orlando Gill.
In the second half of extra time, it seemed Paraguay’s physical and mental pressure was affecting the German players, preventing them from creating chances. In the final minutes, Anton’s header was again collected by Gill. The last opportunity was a free kick from Nadiem Amiri, which struck the side netting, sending the match to penalties.
In the penalty shootout, Paraguay defeated Germany 4–3, producing one of the biggest shocks of the knockout stage by eliminating the four-time World Cup champions.
