Germany were eliminated from the FIFA World Cup after a disallowed extra-time goal sparked protests, jeers, and cheers in an incredibly charged moment at the Boston Stadium.
Jonathan Tah believed he had handed his side what looked like a decisive winner against Paraguay with the scores still deadlocked in the opening half of extra-time, only to see the effort ruled out. It was a moment of pure elation for the Bayern Munich defender, who had dropped to his knees in celebration as his bench flooded onto the field in delight.
Nothing appeared amiss with the goal initially, but when the VAR review flashed up on the big screen, it left spectators inside Gillette Stadium in Foxborough stunned, as per The Mirror US.
Replays quickly revealed German defender Waldemar Anton giving goalkeeper Orlando Gill a slight push, sending the keeper to the ground. Admittedly, it appeared to be minimal contact, but after being directed to review the incident on the pitchside monitor, referee Jalal Jayed sided with his video assistants and awarded a foul to overturn the goal.
Cries erupted throughout the entire stadium. Boos rang out from the sizeable German contingent, while Paraguay supporters erupted with jubilation. One Paraguayan journalist unleashed a resounding "Vamos!" as the referee communicated his ruling inside the press box.
"After review, when the ball was in play, attacker No. 3 prevented the goalkeeper from challenging the ball. Final decision: Foul," the referee announced.
The same German bench that had stormed the field were now up in arms. There was uproar on the Paraguayan bench, too. Gustavo Alfaro, Paraguay's manager, was shown a yellow card for excessive protesting.
Despite the mayhem inside a stunned Boston Stadium, the referee's ruling was final, and the game continued. The outcome proved particularly damaging for Germany, who were unable to break down Paraguay and were forced into a penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw.
Paraguay had grabbed the lead through Julio Enciso in the 42nd minute. The Strasbourg forward headed in a Matias Galarza cross to leave Julian Nagelsmann and his side stunned.
Germany did pull level through Kai Havertz, who flicked on Florian Wirtz's cross in the second half. Yet for the majority of the remaining match, Germany labored relentlessly without producing anything of genuine quality. As such, penalties beckoned.
Havertz, Germany's earlier savior, turned into the villain after seeing his first penalty kick denied by the very goalkeeper who had gone down in the box and triggered the disallowed goal.
But he wasn't alone in his failure. Newcastle United's Nick Woltemade also had his penalty stopped. Paraguay held the advantage.
The South Americans failed to take advantage of the situation, however, with Antonio Sanabria missing and Fabian Balbuena seeing his penalty saved by Manuel Neuer.
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Next up was Tah, who this time failed to hit the target, sending his shot over the goal.
The hero of the game turned out to be Paraguay's Jose Canale, who finally put the game to bed, sending his side through to the Round of 16, where they will take on either France or Sweden.
Source: Alloutsoccer.com
