Paraguay’s dramatic penalty shootout triumph over Germany continues to be a hot topic in international football. The historic setback, which marked the end of Germany’s remarkable invincibility in decisive World Cup finals, gained a new chapter with the revelation of a German newspaper. As published by the tabloid “Bild”, midfielder Leon Goretzka, who ended his journey at Bayern Munich in May after eight years, and other important names on the team would have refused to take the sixth charge.
The German newspaper published the information with the blunt title: “German national team stars escaped responsibility in penalties”. In addition to classifying the elimination as a “fiasco” and an “embarrassment”, the article details that the team faced considerable internal problems in selecting the sixth player who would take the decisive penalty.
Bild headline reveals German players refusing penalties
Jonathan Tah was the athlete who was first willing to face the gigantic pressure, while other important names on the team would have retreated and avoided the responsibility of the charge. At the crucial moment, Leon Goretzka, Waldemar Anton, Nathaniel Brown, Malick Thiaw and goalkeeper Manuel Neuer remained on the pitch.
Previously, Kai Havertz and Nick Woltemade wasted their attempts, unlike Joshua Kimmich, Jamal Musiala and Nadiem Amiri, who converted their shots, leveling the score at 3-3 with Paraguay.
Moments before Amiri successfully finished in the right corner of Paraguayan goalkeeper Orlando Gill, during the fifth penalty, Globo’s television broadcast showed a dialogue. The conversation was started by captain Kimmich with Goretzka, Thiaw, Brown, Anton and Tah, and it was possible to observe Leon and Waldemar expressing a negative sign with their heads.
It then fell to defender Jonathan Tah, a Bayern Munich player, to be responsible for sealing Germany’s fate in the World Cup, hosted in the United States, Mexico and Canada. The athlete, who had had a comeback goal disallowed by VAR in extra time, took the penalty with a shot that ended up going over the crossbar and out.
