Key events
16 min Paraguay were hammered by the US in their opening game but they are generally strong defensively – they conceded 10 goals in 18 qualification games – so this was never going to be easy for Germany. They’re probing relentlessly, thus far without much joy.
13 min Germany are starting to control possession. But they may have an injury problem because Nick Woltemade seems to getting ready to come on.
11 min “I’m now trying to unsee and unhear that Village People clip and a very awkward-looking 1994 Germany squad,” says Peter Oh. “On the bright side, if the South Americans score I’ll be sure to break out a chorus of ‘Paraguay-M-C-A!!!’”
8 min The ensuing corner is headed away as far as Wirtz, who sprays over the bar from 22 yards.
7 min Wirtz cuts inside from the left and cracks a cross intended for Havertz, who is poised to score until the stretching Canale makes a vital interception.
6 min A loose ball in the Paraguay area is touched off by Havertz to Undav, whose floats a chip across goal and wide.
5 min Gustavo Gomez needs treatment after an awkward fall. He’s limping a bit but looks okay.
2 min: Chance for Paraguay The corner reaches the unmarked Julio Alonso at the far post. His first touch is awkward – I think he saw the ball late – but he gets a scissor-kick away that is batted clear by Neuer.
1 min Peep peep! Paraguay kick off from left to right, as we watch, and and within 20 seconds Julio Enciso has a hopeful shot deflected behind for a corner.
“Hiya Rob,” writes James Humphries. “Unclear to me whether this is, in reportage terms, after or before the lord mayor’s show; still, who’d you annoy to get landed with this? (Probably don’t answer that.) C’mon… Paraguay, I guess? Jeezo, difficult to shake a leg for this one.”
Oh, I was happy for Tim to have first pick. Mainly because I owe my career to him, but also because it meant I could watch Richard Osman’s House of Games.
The players walk out on a searing afternoon at Boston Stadium. Thank goodness for those humane hydration breaks.
Tonight’s winners will face France or Sweden, who meet tomorrow
Jonathan Wilson
Match report: Brazil 2-1 Japan
Not for the first time in this tournament, there were long periods when Brazil did not impress. And not for the first time in this tournament, they got away with it. It may be inexplicable but the Carlo Ancelotti method that worked at Real Madrid is working again: stay in games and eventually either opponents will make a mistake or brilliant players will do something brilliant.
Brazil were 1-0 down at half-time and struggling. Their earliest ever exit form a World Cup seemed entirely possible. Five players in the Brazil starting lineup were aged over 30, five of the six most defensive players – and they looked it. Japan were quicker, slicker, sharper and more imaginative. But the introduction of Endrick and a change of shape and approach at half-time changed everything. Brazil started slinging crosses into the box and Japan wobbled. Casemiro, barely a pedestrian in the first half, headed the equaliser and, deep into injury time, Gabriel Martinelli squeezed in the winner.
“Good evening Rob,” says Krishnamoorthy V. “What is better for Germany? Lose today and blame the officials or the pitch /VAR. or prevail today and get marauded by a tank with a Rolls Royce engine aka Mbappe as reward?”
I think they have a third option in mind.
“Anyone who was around in 2002 will remember that year’s Germany-Paraguay as probably the worst match of that tournament,” says Peter Goldstein. “I think this one will be better, if only because Germany have more good attackers at their disposal this time. But I’ll be very surprised if Paraguay add much to the match excitement-wise.”
In fairness, the winning goal was a beauty, and not only because it saved us all from extra-time.
“I’m extremely disappointed,” begins Kiera Healy, and for once that overused phrase is justified, “that we’ve had four Germany games without mentioning Die Mannschaft’s finest moment from the last World Cup on US soil.
“The tradition of forcing players into awkward backing vocals on cheesy songs really needs to be resurrected.”
They looked a lot more comfortable singing Three Lions after winning Euro 96.
Ian Sargeant writes in
Greetings from Turkey Rob. Just chilling over some post-dinner cocktails. My 25% German son is resplendent in his Germany shirt making his much missed grandmother proud I’m sure. Paraguay 1986? Alvin Martin’s only start in that campaign. Had he played the following game in stead of Terry Fenwick, would Stretch have got close enough to Maradona to stop Diego’s second? Trying to stop Alan Devonshire in club training every day would have been helpful…
I love the Royal Tenenbaumsish description of your son. (Please take that in the spirit in which it was intended.)
And no, Stretch wouldn’t have got any closer – but he might not have been on a yellow card for gratutious violence, which would have given him the option of taking Maradona out and stopping the second goal.
There’s a tragic backdrop to today’s game: six people have been killed at a youth welfare facility in Stade, Germany. Beyond the sympathy that shouldn’t need to be expressed, it’s hard to know what else to say.
Team news
Deniz Undav, who has scored three goals at this World Cup via the Chloe Kelly Paradox, starts up front for the first time. Jamal Musiala drops out, so Kai Havertz will probably play as a No10.
Miguel Almiron returns to the Paraguay side after his suspension, and Gabriel Avalos starts up front.
Germany (poss 4-2-3-1) Neuer; Kimmich, Tah, Rudiger, Brown; Pavlovic, Nmecha; Sane, Havertz, Wirtz; Undav.
Subs: Baumann, Nubel, Anton, Goretzka, Leweling, Musiala, Woltemade, Gross, Beier, Stiller, Amiri, Raum, Thiaw, Ouedraogo.
Paraguay (poss 4-5-1) Gill; Caceres, Gomez, Canale, Alonso; Almiron, Cubas, Bobadilla, Galarza; Avalos.
Subs: Fernandez, Olveira, Velazquez, Alderete, Balbuena, Sosa, Sanabria, Mauricio, Romero, Arce, Ojeda, Caballero, Pitta, Maidana.
Referee Jayal Jayed (Morocco)
The Chloe Kelly Paradox is one of the features of this World Cup. Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli, one of the world’s best substitutes, has just scored an injury-time winner for Brazil against Japan.
Paraguay haven’t scored a goal in five World Cup knockout games. Statistics never lie, but they can be economical with the truth and Paraguay have troubled some very good teams.
The eventual winners France needed the World Cup’s first Golden Goal to beat them in 1998; the finalists Germany needed a superb late winner from the unsung Oliver Neuville in 2002.
In 2010, after beating Japan on penalties following a 0-0 draw, they gave Spain a sizeable scare. Even in 1986, when they lost handsomely to good old England, they had chances to take the lead.
Preamble
Hello and welcome to live, scene-by-scene coverage of 4369 Days Later. That’s how long it’s been since Germany’s last World Cup knockout game, a scenario none of us could have foreseen when Mario Gotze scored the winner against Argentina in the 2014 final.
Paraguay have waited even longer to return to this particular do-or-die saloon, but then they’re not Germany so it’s not as big a deal. They are semi-forgotten quarter-finalists from 2010, when they gave the eventual winners Spain an abundant scare before eventually losing 1-0. Oscar Cardozo had a second-half penalty saved when the score was 0-0.
Germany are strongish favourites today, but their 12-year absence from the knockout rounds tells us that the old certainties around Germany and the World Cup no longer apply. The reward for the winners is dubious: France or Sweden in the last 16.
Kick off 4.30pm EDT/9.30pm BST/6.30am AET
