Paraguay coach salutes ‘extraordinary’ World Cup win over Germany

Paraguay produced arguably the greatest World Cup upset as Germany was defeated 4-3 on penalties in the last 32.Paraguay coach Gustavo Alfaro praised his players for producing an “extraordinary” performance after beating Germany on penalties to secure a place in the World Cup last 16 on Monday.Julio Enciso gave Paraguay a first-half lead in Foxborough, but Kai Havertz equalised, and it appeared four-time world champions Germany would eventually scrape through in extra time.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4VIDEO: World Cup Day 18: Canada beats South Africa, through to last 16list 2 of 4Manchester City hires Enzo Maresca as manager to replace Pep Guardiolalist 3 of 4Top seeds Sinner and Sabalenka answer doubters at Wimbledon Day onelist 4 of 4Ex-NBA players Malik Beasley, Ed Davis indicted in betting investigationend of listHowever, Jonathan Tah had a goal chalked off, and Paraguay won 4-3 in a dramatic shootout after a 1-1 draw as goalkeeper Orlando Gill made two crucial saves.“I experienced it with great intensity, like everyone,” said Alfaro.“It was a match full of tension from start to finish because we knew we were facing one of the main title contenders, a rival of enormous quality who, beforehand, were favourites.”Alfaro said his team executed the game plan effectively, limiting Germany’s ability to impose their style.“The players understood perfectly what the match required and put in a huge effort to prevent Germany from finding spaces and playing their game,” he said.He acknowledged the physical toll of the contest, pointing to the demanding conditions on a hot day in Massachusetts.“It’s true we lacked certain things, but the demands of the match were very high. The temperature was high, and the constant effort to recover and close down spaces often left us with less energy to attack,” Alfaro added.Germany had never before lost a World Cup shootout, but Paraguay held their nerve, even after Antonio Sanabria and Fabian Balbuena missed kicks that would have secured victory.