Stunning Upset! Paraguay Eliminates Germany, President Declares National Holiday for Celebration
Facing Germany in the first round of the World Cup knockout stage, Paraguayan goalkeeper Orlando Gil knew his team were heavy underdogs. Frankly, even he was intimidated by the formidable presence of their opponents. But the 26-year-old keeper, making his World Cup debut, outdueled German legend Manuel Neuer in a penalty shootout, not only helping the 'Red and Whites' eliminate the four-time world champions but also delivering a special reward for his compatriots—a national holiday on Tuesday local time.
"It would be presumptuous to declare the outcome before the match," Gil said after helping the underdogs, who were 5-to-1 longshots pre-match, advance to the Round of 16. "Paraguay is fully capable of creating miracles. Opportunities will always come." The 1.98-meter-tall goalkeeper, who plays for Argentina's San Lorenzo, had already helped Paraguay secure a 1-0 clean sheet against Turkey and a 0-0 draw with Australia in the group stage, qualifying for the knockouts.
But against mighty Germany, Gil—who conceded four goals to the United States in the group stage—needed an even better performance. Germany dominated possession with over twice Paraguay's share and outshot them 21 to 7. "It was like a horror movie, German players were everywhere," Gil admitted. "Even now, I find it hard to believe." Making their task even harder was Neuer—the legendary goalkeeper in his fifth World Cup, who led Germany to the 2014 title (finishing third in the Ballon d'Or that year) and helped Bayern Munich win two Champions League titles and 13 Bundesliga championships.
"Neuer is a world-class goalkeeper," Gil said with respect. "To be in a penalty shootout against him, and for him to also make a save, I have nothing but respect for such an idol." Gil made only one mistake in regular time: failing to stop Kai Havertz's equalizer in the 54th minute. In the 12th minute of extra time, a VAR review ruled that Waldemar Anton interfered with Gil, blocking his path to a shot by Jonathan Tah, disallowing what would have been Germany's winning goal.
In the penalty shootout, Gil proved he deserved the Man of the Match award. He first saved Havertz's penalty—stretching his right arm to deflect the ball, giving Paraguay the early advantage. With Paraguay converting their first three penalties to lead 3-2, Gil then saved Florian Wirtz's attempt. This meant Paraguay only needed to score once in their final two kicks to win. But Antonio Sanabria shot wide left of the post, and Neuer saved Omar Alderete's attempt, sending the shootout to sudden death. After Tah blasted his shot over the crossbar, Andrés Cubas sealed victory by beating Neuer.
"Now I will calm down and properly analyze what we have achieved," Gil said. His next match will be on Saturday in Philadelphia against either France or Sweden. "We held on for 120 minutes, and luck was on our side during the penalty shootout."
On Monday night local time, following the team's historic victory, Paraguayan President Santiago Peña declared Tuesday a national holiday. The decree stated: "In recognition of the Paraguayan national football team's historic victory over Germany, June 30th is hereby approved as an official national holiday."