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Germany will not advance to the round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and some might think the Germans have a legitimate complaint about how their loss to Paraguay in the round of 32 played out.
In the final minutes of the first half of extra time, German defender Jonathan Tah scored with a header from a corner kick that would have given his team a 2-1 lead. However, it was determined that German defender Waldemar Antón fouled Paraguayan goalkeeper Orlando Gill after the VAR review, disallowing the goal.
Germany lost on penalty kicks in arguably one of the biggest upsets in men’s World Cup history. However, before Germany’s defeat, at least one former goalkeeper took the Germans’ side in what happened.
“I don’t think it’s a foul,” former Denmark and Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel said on FOX’s “World Cup Live” between overtime periods. “Actually, I don’t think Anton did anything. He’s just there. The goalkeeper runs right at him and I think they made a mistake.”
Not all panel members agreed with Schmeichel. Former Nigerian midfielder John Obi Mikel argued that the attacker’s position justified the referee’s whistle, pointing out that the player was blocking the goalkeeper without looking at the play.
“I think it’s a foul,” Mikel said. “To me, when he hinders the goalkeeper, you can see that the goalkeeper has his eyes on the ball. He has his eyes on the ball at all times and the player is just standing there. He’s not thinking about the ball. He’s not looking at the ball. And that’s exactly what happened. To me, it seems a little soft. But I think the referee made the right decision.”
Former U.S. forward Clint Dempsey broke the tie on the panel and opted to back Schmeichel’s perspective.
“When you have a goalie who is part of the goalie union and says it’s not a foul, then it’s not a foul,” Dempsey said.
The disallowed goal ultimately kept the game level and Germany never had as many opportunities to take the lead as at that moment. They ended up losing on penalty kicks, 4-3, with Tah missing a penalty kick in the final round before Paraguay’s José Canale scored, continuing a poor streak for Germany in recent World Cups.
