VAR controversy denies Germany as Paraguay win World Cup shootout

VAR turned the decisive moment in Germany’s World Cup exit into the match’s defining controversy. Jonathan Tah thought he had headed Germany into the lead in the 101st minute at Boston Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, but the goal was disallowed after a review for a foul on Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill, and Paraguay went on to win 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in extra time.

Germany had led through Kai Havertz’s 54th-minute goal before Julio Enciso equalised in the 42nd minute for Paraguay, leaving the last-32 tie poised for a single breakthrough. Tah appeared to supply it, only for the review to erase what would have been Germany’s go-ahead moment. The match ended with Paraguay advancing to the round of 16 and Germany eliminated despite having topped their group.

The decision drew immediate condemnation from prominent voices around the game. Pat Nevin called it a “rubbish decision,” while Darren Cann said referees he knew also could not understand why a penalty was not given. Alan Shearer and Jurgen Klopp were among those who felt Germany had been hard done by, and Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann went further, calling the call a scandal and blaming the referee and VAR for the exit.

For Paraguay, the result was framed as the biggest World Cup triumph in the nation’s history, a seismic upset for a country of about 7 million people. For Germany, it was a brutal collapse from group winners to last-32 casualties, with the disallowed goal and the silence around the final review only deepening the sense that the technology meant to settle disputes had instead widened them.