Carlos Vela closes his career with gratitude and legacy in football

Paraguay advances in the World Cup after beating Germany in a penalty shootout

Orlando Gill knew that Paraguay were not favorites against four-time champions Germany in the round of 32. But the 26-year-old goalkeeper, in his first World Cup, beat the legendary Manuel Neuer in a shootout that put La Albirroja in the round of 16.

“It was clear that we should not speak ahead of time,” said Gill after saving two shots in the 4-3 decision in favor of the South Americans. “It has been reflected that Paraguay is ready for great things. We should not shrink it for anything before the world.”

At 1.98 meters, the San Lorenzo goalkeeper came undefeated in the group stage: 1-0 victory over Türkiye and 0-0 draw with Australia. Against Germany, the possession was overwhelming: 21 shots on goal against Paraguay’s seven.

“It was a horror movie, you had Germans everywhere,” Gill said. “Even I can’t believe it yet.”

Gill conceded a goal in regulation time: Kai Havertz’s header in the 54th minute. Another German goal was annulled in the 12th minute of extra time after a video review due to a foul by Waldemar Anton on Gill.

On penalties, Gill stopped Havertz’s first attempt by extending his right arm, then saved Nick Woltemade. Paraguay missed two in a row (Sanabria and Balbuena), but Tah sent his shot over the crossbar and José Canale beat Neuer to seal the victory.

“Now I’m going to sit down cold and analyze what we’ve achieved,” Gill said. “The team behaved quite well, we were able to hold out until 120 and on penalties luck was on our side.”

The Argentine coach Gustavo Alfaro highlighted: “I am very happy for Orlando, he had difficult moments due to all the doubts after the 4-1. He is a solid goalkeeper, he is about to make the leap to playing top-level football.”

For Germany, the defeat extends a streak of disappointments: eliminations in the group stage of the last two World Cups and now in the round of 32. They have not won a direct elimination match since the 2014 final.

“They talk about expectations: it’s already been 11 or 12 years and we have fallen short,” said German coach Julian Nagelsmann. “It is not enough for German football.”

The Moroccan team secured its place in the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup. It did so after beating the Netherlands 3-2 in the penalty shootout, after a 1-1 draw in regular time and overtime at the Monterrey stadium.

A match defined in the details

There were no goals during the first half. The physical intensity set the pace of the match. In the 72nd minute, Cody Gakpo opened the scoring for the Dutch. It seemed like victory for the Netherlands.

But in injury time, Issa Diop equalized in the 91st minute. It forced extra time. In the additional 30 minutes no one broke the tie. The key was defined from the eleven steps.

Morocco showed greater precision in the series. They won 3-2 and celebrated the classification.

What’s coming for Morocco

With this result, the African team advances to the next round. Their rival will be the Canadian team. The victory highlights the growth of Moroccan football and its ability to compete at the highest level.

At 67 years old and with more than three decades as technical director, Javier Aguirre is still in force. In his third stage at the head of the Mexican National Team, he achieved the best group stage for El Tri in a World Cup. Now, facing the round of 32 duel against Ecuador, he is clear that he does not want to repeat past mistakes.

Aguirre’s lessons

“I learned many things in those two games (the eliminations of 2002 and 2010), I was surely wrong, but it is important not to make the same mistake, that would be a double mistake; now is a different time, on a personal level even, and the big difference is our home field, that is like never before our great number 12 player,” he declared at a press conference.

“Vasco” highlighted the enthusiasm of the Mexican fans:

“We are aware that we have a country behind us and that motivates us a lot, so I would say that we are all very excited about what is coming.”

Aguirre has experienced four World Cup eliminations: as a player in Mexico 1986, as a technical assistant in the United States 1994, and as a coach in Korea-Japan 2002 and South Africa 2010. When asked what El Tri lacked to make history, he responded:

“The eliminations have always had a culprit, which is surely the coach. One could remember difficult eliminations and make 20 thousand stories to understand what was done wrong, but the victories belong to the players and the defeats to the coaches, and I include myself.”

He avoided seeking external explanations:

“Destiny, chance, arbitration, luck, that doesn’t matter to me. Both in 2002 and 2010 there were specific events that harmed us, but it is nothing more than an absurd justification after so much time.”

In this World Cup, the third to be played at home, Aguirre arrives with the scars of lost battles. Those that serve as fuel to want to change history.