Sports
Infallible? Not any more. How Germany lost a World Cup penalty shootout for the first time
Paraguay had two match points. Then they had none. When Antonio Sanabria skewed his penalty wide and Manuel Neuer saved from Fabian Balbuena, Paraguay had blown their penalty shootout advantage and looked to have lost all momentum.
Germany were now back to 3-3 and, somehow, still alive. It felt like football heritage had pulled them through. Their spotless record in World Cup penalty shootouts would remain intact. Victory was now inevitable.
Then something very un-German happened. Centre-back Jonathan Tah, who had never taken a penalty for club or country in normal time before, blasted high over the bar. Paraguay centre-back Jose Canale made no mistake with his side’s third chance to win it and sent Neuer the wrong way.
Germany were disconsolate. Not only were they out but their sense of infallibility from 12 yards was gone.
They lost their first World Cup shootout, having beaten France in the 1982 semi-final, Mexico in the 1986 quarter-final, England in the 1990 final and Argentina in the 2006 quarter-final.
Kai Havertz, who was followed by Nick Woltemade and Bayern Munich defender Tah, is the first German player to miss in a World Cup penalty shootout since Uli Stielike in 1982 against France. It ends a run of 15 consecutive penalties scored in World Cup shootouts.
The hero, Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill, dedicated the win to his nephew, who is ill in hospital. “I promised him that if we got this victory, it would be for him,” he said.
The 26-year old San Lorenzo stopper only made his debut in September’s qualifiers and has had to overcome criticism. Legendary goalkeeper Jose Luis Chilavert was part of that after the 4-1 loss to the United States, but Paraguay manager Gustavo Alfaro was vindicated for sticking by him.
“For Orlando I am happy becaus he went through difficult moments after the 4-1 and all the doubts,” said Alfaro.
“I really trust him. He is a goalkeeper who one game after another becomes more solid. He has won the right, which is when we come to the World Cup, to have players who can play top level.”
Here, The Athletic breaks down the details of how Paraguay beat the Germans at their own game.
Having won the coin toss, Germany captain Joshua Kimmich elected to go first and also got to shoot towards his own fans. A huge cheer went up from the block of white shirts. It felt like they were already ahead, at least spiritually.
Germany manager Julian Naglesman had walked onto the pitch at full time, notepad in hand, and appeared to handpick his takers as they made their way over to the bench. His mind had clearly gone to penalties before extra time was up.
Havertz misses: Germany 0-0 Paraguay
The Arsenal striker had a record of 23 goals from 24 penalty attempts. He seemed the perfect candidate to give his team a strong start but the Moroccan referee Jalal Jayed made him wait an incredibly long time before blowing his whistle. More than 30 seconds elapsed from the time the forward placed the ball.
It is a long period to be in your own thoughts. Particularly when goalkeeper Gill was still clapping his gloves together, swinging his arms all the way behind his back for maximum volume.
Perhaps that explains why, at the end of his usual stutter run-up, Havertz took a momentary glance towards his right before putting his head back down to face the ball.
Whether it was an attempt at a double bluff or anxiety spilling the beans, it was enough for Gill to dive high to his left and palm the ball away with his right arm above his head.
Havertz had clearly banked on lifting it high into the corner but his placement was way off, only a couple of yards to Gill’s left, and the shot lacked power.
Mauricio scores: Germany 0-1 Paraguay
The Palmeiras midfielder is arguably the most technical player in the team, which is why manager Alfaro spent Sunday fielding questions as to what he had to do to earn a start.
Whipping his right-footed penalty into the side netting may have gone some way to pushing his claims. He took a brave walk up to the ball rather than a run, staring at Neuer the entire way before looking at the ball in his final couple of steps.
Neuer guessed the right way but, unlike Havertz, he closed his foot on the ball with such velocity that there was not enough reaction time for the German to get a hand to it.
Kimmich scores: Germany 1-1 Paraguay
This time Gill opted for starfish claps. Kimmich, however, was unfazed. He took a long, fast run-up but slammed the brakes on to look up before planting his standing leg.
The pause threw Gill off. He moved early to his left and Kimmich was able to sweep it to the other side.
Gomez scores: Germany 1-2 Paraguay
This looked like a penalty destined for Row Z. Gustavo Gomez, the captain, had been incredible, throwing his body at every German shot all night. The centre-back approached the ball like he was unfamiliar with disguise. Neuer even put his right arm up to suggest where he was going.
But from a straight approach angle, Gomez arced his run from the left, like a tennis player running around the ball to get onto their forehand. Still moving at full pace, seemingly dead set on smashing it as hard as he could, Gomez opted for finesse. He relaxed in the final step and passed it to the right side of the goal.
It fooled the stadium and it fooled Neuer, who leaped high to his right like a salmon in anticipation of a ferocious strike.
Musiala scores: Germany 2-2 Paraguay
Perhaps the best penalty of the lot. Like Gomez, he moved to his left before making his way to the ball. Gill frantically shuffled his feet from side to side and performed a couple of rapid glove claps when Jamal Musiala was only a step away.
It was a slow approach but Musiala then quickly accelerated onto the ball and whipped it into the bottom right corner. Gill showed great agility in throwing himself down low, only inches off the ground, but even at full extension he could not quite get his fingertips to the ball.
Galarza scores: Germany 2-3 Paraguay
The man whose pinpoint cross found Julio Enciso for Paraguay’s goal found another dose of composure to send Neuer the wrong way.
The art of this penalty was in how he used his body weight to fool Neuer. The German goalkeeper stands as tall as he can at penalties, even bouncing on his toes, but it can leave him vulnerable to shifting his body weight even slightly.
Matias Galarza, a left footer, took quite a straight run up and, as he wound his right arm back, he shifted his body weight towards the right as if he was leaning in to curl the ball into the right side.
But as Neuer took a step forward to dive to his left, Galarza casually opened his body back up to the other side and passed the ball into the net. It was one of those penalties which, if saved, would have looked indescribably bad. But the composure came from the fact he had already sold Neuer a dummy.
Woltemade misses: Germany 2-3 Paraguay
It is a technique that Stuttgart and Newcastle United fans are familiar with. The creeping baby steps of the 6ft 6in (198cm) striker made their way to the ball but this time Gill was hunched over, shuffling just his right leg side to side.
Woltemade took eight steps up to the ball with his final two normal strides. That is when he looked back down at the ball but Gill remained patient and did not give any indication of which side he was leaning towards.
The German’s standing leg was planted very close to the ball and it gave him no room to reverse it into the left corner, even if he had spotted Gill making a move in his peripheral vision.
Woltemade’s record of 16 goals from 18 attempts suggested confidence but Gill’s diving technique was explosive. Keeping his right foot on the line, he launched himself forward to cut off the angle and easily got a hand to the ball.
Sanabria misses: Germany 2-3 Paraguay
Score and Paraguay win. This was meant to be the moment but the Cremonense forward fluffed his lines.
Sanabria’s run-up was a little telegraphed as he shut off the right side of the goal with his angle. He closed his foot on the ball to generate whip, so it was clear he was not intending to play it safe.
But Neuer guessed right and it appeared this spooked the striker, causing him to try to be too precise. In the end, he dragged it a yard wide.
(Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
(Odd Andersen/AFP via Getty Images)
Germany’s players leaped forward from the halfway line with a renewed belief that they could escape.
Amiri scores: Germany 3-3 Paraguay
The Mainz midfielder held his nerve. Nagelsman presumably brought Nadiem Amiri on during extra time with penalties in mind, considering he is the designated taker at club level.
Another in-to-out run up from the left with fast feet thrown in midway, he managed to silence Gill’s mind games. The goalkeeper was bobbing both arms up and down like he was at an exercise class, clapping his gloves together every time Amiri took a step closer.
He opened up his body smoothly at the last moment and stroked the penalty into the bottom right corner.
(Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
(Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)
Balbuena misses: Germany 3-3 Paraguay
Gill, off to the right, was on his knees watching on.
This was not a bad penalty but perhaps a case of the bluff being too obvious. Balbuena ran towards the ball at pace but gradually closed his body to the left a little and made a subtle glance to that side.
Neuer bounced on his toes and spread his arms once as he got close to striking. He gambled on Balbuena opening up his body and that is exactly what happened.
This was an impressive save, however, as the strike was low to the ground and had a decent amount of pace on it. Using his left foot to power him, the keeper put both hands together as he dived and got a strong contact on the ball.
(Tom Weller/Picture Alliance via Getty Images)
Balbuena screwed his eyes up as he looked to the sky. Paraguay had passed up two match points. Germany now had the momentum and the body language of both teams on the halfway line was telling. Galarza had been on his knees in anticipation but he was motionless as Germany’s line punched the air.
(Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)
Tah misses: Germany 3-3 Paraguay
Why Tah, a centre-back, took the sixth penalty will be a question for the inquiry.
The centre-back did look the part. He stood tall, took a deep breath and made his way to the ball at a steady pace. He opened his body up to suggest he was passing it to his right, sending Gill diving the wrong way.
All he had to do was slot it into the empty side but he got it horribly wrong. At impact, he was leaning way too far back. Rather than whipping it with the inside of his foot, he made contact more with his laces and sent the ball sailing over the bar. It was not even close.
(Martin Rickett/PA Images via Getty Images)
(Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
Canale scores: Germany 3-4 Paraguay
Talk about backing yourself. Canale was exceptional at centre-back alongside his captain but, at 29, he was new to this level. This was only his fifth cap.
He did not run or stutter. Instead, he almost bounced off the balls of his feet. As he glided towards the ball he was square on with Neuer. He had closed off the left side of the goal for a left-footer. Too obvious once again.
Neuer committed. This time, however, Canale won the mind game. Having opened his body up at the last second, he reversed the ball into the right-hand side of the goal.
Striking it with his instep, he kept the ball just under the bar and sprinted to the corner flag, where he was mobbed by his team-mates.
“Everybody is very sad,” said Nagelsman.
“I don’t put fault on the players who missed the penalties. This happens to big players and it happened today. You have 120 minutes to decide the game in your favour.
“You really shouldn’t miss penalties but the players know that. I am not going to blame them. They are under a lot of pressure. I feel bad for Jonathan Tah but that is the way it goes.”
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Sports
Super League: Leeds Rhinos secure play-off spot with comeback win over Wakefield Trinity, Hull KR and Leigh Leopards pick up crucial victories | Rugby League News
Leeds underlined their Super League title credentials as Chris Hankinson’s converted try capped a thrilling comeback 24-22 win over Wakefield at a packed-out DIY Kitchens Stadium.
Former Leeds half-back Jack Sinfield, son of Rhinos great Kevin, was outstanding against the club that released him at the end of last year, providing the assist for two of Wakefield’s three tries in eight first-half minutes to put the hosts 16-0 ahead.
Sinfield then went over after half-time to put Wakefield 22-6 ahead and give Trinity hope of moving level on points with Leeds, but the league leaders impressively went up a gear in the final half hour.
James McDonnell and Cameron Smith struck with Sinfield off the pitch but even with the 21-year-old back on, the momentum was with Leeds and Hankinson sprung into action from a low kick from Jake Connor, who added his fourth conversion in the 78th minute to give his side the win.
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Chris Hankinson’s late try saw Leeds Rhinos complete a dramatic comeback as they beat title rivals Wakefield Trinity to remain top of the table.
Leeds are now four points clear of their West Yorkshire rivals at the top of the table after ending Wakefield’s seven-match winning streak.
It was Leeds who started stronger as Wakefield were initially hemmed in early on, with three goal-line drop-outs following Connor’s 40-20 but Sinfield was one of three defenders to drive returning Leeds captain Ash Handley into touch which released the building pressure.
Given the opportunity to break upfield themselves, Wakefield showed much more of a cutting edge as Sinfield’s dink over the top bounced and spun cruelly past covering defender Lachie Miller, allowing Isaiah Vagana to open the scoring.
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Jack Sinfield scored for Wakefield against his father’s former side Leeds as rugby league legend Kevin watched on proudly.
Powerful prop Caius Faatili made a near-instant impact from the bench, bulldozing through Leeds’ defence before passing inside for Caleb Hamlin-Uele to go under the posts, while Sinfield’s dummy and offload saw Jayden Myers dot down in the corner as Wakefield established a 16-0 lead after 29 minutes.
Sinfield blotted his copybook by missing his third conversion and Wakefield then switched off before half-time as Brodie Croft cruised through a yawning gap to get Leeds on the board.
Wakefield were quickest out of the traps after the break, Sinfield collecting a return pass from Faatili and feigning to go out wide before muscling through two defenders, with the try given by the video referee despite suspicions the ball had not been cleanly grounded.
Sinfield added the extras but then headed for the tunnel soon after and Leeds pounced. Although Alfie Edgell’s foot was dragged into touch after touching down and Jarrod O’Connor was held up over the line, McDonnell made no mistake with half an hour to go.
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Caius Faatili produced an incredible run as he set up Caleb Hamlin-Uele’s try, extending Wakefield’s lead over Leeds in the Super League.
Wakefield-bound Smith showed what his new side will be getting from next year by wriggling free of his future team-mates and exploiting a gap to score, with Jake Connor’s third conversion bringing Leeds to within four points.
After Sinfield came back on, Cameron Scott had an opportunity to extend Wakefield’s lead but his foot was clawed into touch before he got the ball down in the corner and from then on, it was one-way traffic from then on as Leeds came on strong in the final quarter.
Handley was denied a try following a high ball from Croft because of a knock-on but Leeds would not be denied as Hankinson dotted down following a clever grubber from Connor, who split the posts with his conversion kick to put the visitors ahead for the first time with three minutes left.
KR inflict another loss on Castleford
Hull KR inflicted more woe on Castleford with an eight-try thrashing of the crisis club in the Betfred Super League.
Castleford were without head coach Ryan Carr due to “personal reasons” for the clash at the OneBore Stadium, but entered the fixture after five defeats in six matches.
Any hope of an upturn in fortunes quickly went out the window with play-off chasing Rovers able to run in six second-half scores with Tom Davies and Tyrone May going over twice for a brace each in a 44-0 victory.
It took 12 minutes for the deadlock to be broken when Jez Litten latched on to his own grubber kick to jot down.
Davies added a second before the break, but Castleford were firmly in the contest at half-time with the score at 10-0.
However, May’s 45th-minute effort opened the floodgates and sparked a spell of four tries in 11 minutes.
Joe Burgess grabbed another for Rovers before Peta Hiku went over, which was backed up by a second for May.
Davies completed his brace with 15 minutes left and Rhyse Martin rounded off the scoring in the 73rd minute to cap a fine 14-point individual display for the Papua New Guinea forward.
Leigh boost play-off hopes with win over York
Leigh Leopards provided a welcome boost to their play-off hopes with a 22-14 win over York Knights.
The Leopards had a slender 12-10 half-time lead thanks to tries from Josh Charnley and Joe Ofahengaue, Jon Bennison touching down twice for the Knights.
In the second half, Leigh seemingly took control again and with tries from Andy Badrock and David Armstrong, they stretched their lead to 22-10.
York did hit back once again as Bennison went over for his hat-trick with eight minutes left on the clock but it was not enough to stop Leigh picking up the victory.
Adrian Lam’s side now sit on 28 points in sixth spot, four points ahead of St Helens in seventh.
Sky Sports will show every game of the Super League live this season, including two matches each round exclusively live. The remaining five matches will be broadcast on Sky Sports+.
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Sports
Bradley Barcola transfer news: Arsenal could hijack Liverpool’s move for PSG winger – Paper Talk | Football News
The top stories and transfer rumours from Saturday’s newspapers…
Premier League
Arsenal could look to hijack Liverpool’s swoop for Bradley Barcola after missing out on Vinicius Jr – The Sun
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is still eager to bring in a new left winger with three notable options still on the table: Julian Alvarez, Bradley Barcola and Iliman Ndiaye – The Independent
Barcelona have submitted a bid of £38.5m for Rodri but Manchester City will not let him leave for less than £60m – The Times
Manchester City are exploring a move for Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez in light of Rodri’s expected move to Barcelona – The Independent
Chelsea could still sell up to 15 players before the end of the summer transfer window, with 10 potentially moving away from Stamford Bridge on loan – The Sun
Newcastle want to strengthen at left back and also want a right back and have checked on 19-year-old Jorge Salinas at Racing Santander, along with Aston Villa – Daily Mail
EFL
Wrexham have asked about Ipswich Town’s Alex Palmer as an alternative solution to find a new goalkeeper for the Championship season – Daily Mail
Scottish Football
Celta Vigo are confident of beating Rangers to the signing of Couhaib Driouech – Daily Record
SFA top brass have summoned leading clubs to a crisis meeting on the future of Scottish football – The Scottish Sun
Tennis
The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) has banned transgender women from all competitive female matches, even if those matches are only part of internal club competitions – The Telegraph
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Sports
U.S. Senate is debating NIL and transfer portal. And awarding Missouri the 1960 national title
The U.S. Senate has been discussing the Protect College Sports Act, attempting to establish guidelines and regulations on eligibility; name, image and likeness; the transfer portal; and the rapidly shifting landscape of college athletics.
And Thursday, it also found time to retroactively award the Missouri Tigers the 1960 national football championship.
A title now connected to five schools.
During a Senate meeting Thursday, Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) introduced S. Res. 833, recognizing Missouri’s claim to the title 66 years later.
“More than six decades later, the 1960 Tigers still embody the character of Missouri,” Schmitt said during the meeting. “We are a people who work. We are a people who endure. We are people who keep our promises. The men of that team brought home a Big Eight championship and the Orange Bowl championship game in a perfect season.”
As with so many things in college football history, that last part depends on who you ask. And which side of the Missouri River you live on.
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Missouri finished 10-1 on the field in the 1960 season after defeating Navy 21-14 in the Orange Bowl. The Tigers’ lone loss came against Kansas, 23-7, in a game that was supposed to decide the Big Eight title. Kansas was later found to have used an ineligible player in running back Bert Coan, a transfer from TCU.
The Big Eight determined Kansas boosters had used illegal recruiting practices and provided improper off-campus transportation during Coan’s recruitment. The running back scored twice in the game against Missouri. The conference later ordered Kansas to forfeit the conference title and awarded the victory and the Big Eight championship to Missouri, restoring the Tigers’ undefeated season before their Orange Bowl win.
“A championship obtained by cheating is not a championship at all,” Schmitt said. “The people of Kansas have spent more than six decades trying to turn a blatant penalty into a moral victory. But the truth is harder to bear, and facts are stubborn things. Missouri finished 11-0, reminding the conference and the American populace that cheaters never truly win.”
Schmitt’s resolution was adopted by unanimous consent. The bill that’s supposed to save college sports remains unsettled.
Despite the Senate’s action, the University of Missouri hasn’t claimed the national championship and did not respond to a request for comment when reached by The Athletic.
The resolution adds more fuel to the bitter “Border War” rivalry, which is set to resume in Week 2 of the coming season. But in a sport defined by convoluted rulings and debates, a decision about a six-decade-old season is not as simple as a brief government resolution.
Five schools can now stake a claim to the 1960 national football championship, each under different selection criteria or circumstances.
Here are the other four.
Minnesota (8-2) — AP and UPI national champion
Back in 1960, the Associated Press and United Press International, recognized by the NCAA as official major selectors, crowned their national champion at the end of the regular season — before bowl games.
And both polls named 8-1 Minnesota its national champion at the end of the 1960 regular season. Then the Gophers lost 17-7 to Washington in the Rose Bowl.
Minnesota’s lone regular-season loss came at home to Purdue — a team that finished 4-4-1 — while its biggest regular-season win was a 27-10 thrashing of then-top-ranked Iowa (8-1) in Minneapolis in early November.
The latter was one of two wins over AP-ranked teams for the Golden Gophers — the other came at No. 12 Nebraska in late September.
Ole Miss (10-0-1) — NCAA-recognized co-champion
Nowadays, an undefeated SEC champion getting denied an outright national title would be unheard of. Back in the 1960s? Not so much.
The Rebels finished the regular season without a loss — the tie came at home against LSU (5-4-1) — and capped their campaign with a 14-6 victory over Rice in the Sugar Bowl.
After Minnesota lost in the Rose Bowl, the Football Writers Association of America voted Ole Miss as its post-bowl national champion. The FWAA was also recognized by the NCAA as an official major selector, making Ole Miss an NCAA-recognized co-national champion alongside Minnesota.
Washington (10-1) — The Rose Bowl winner
Washington defeated the AP and UPI national champion in the Rose Bowl, finishing the season with a better record and a head-to-head victory over the Gophers.
The Huskies were named national champions by the Helms Athletic Foundation, which was founded in 1936 by bakery owner Paul H. Helms and sports historian Bill Schroeder to promote amateur athletics. The foundation selected All-Americans and national champions until it dissolved in 1983.
The Helms Athletic Foundation was not recognized by the NCAA as an official major selector, however, so Washington’s national championship claim is not recognized, either.
Iowa (8-1) — The Litkenhous Rating champion
Iowa’s lone loss in 1960 came on the road against Minnesota in the Hawkeyes’ seventh game. Minnesota lost to Purdue the next week, leaving both schools with 5-1 conference records and a share of the Big Ten title.
Before its loss to Minnesota, Iowa had spent much of the season No. 1 in the AP poll.
The Litkenhous Rating system, a mathematical formula based on scoring margins and opponent strength, was recognized by the NCAA as an official major selector. It concluded that Iowa was the national champion, giving the Hawkeyes their own claim to the 1960 title.
Although the Litkenhous selection is recognized by the NCAA, Minnesota and Ole Miss are generally regarded as the 1960 official co-national champions because their titles came through the wire-service and FWAA human polls. Those polls carried the greatest weight before college football shifted toward computer rankings and, later, the BCS and College Football Playoff systems.
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Super League: Leeds Rhinos secure play-off spot with comeback win over Wakefield Trinity, Hull KR and Leigh Leopards pick up crucial victories | Rugby League News
Bradley Barcola transfer news: Arsenal could hijack Liverpool’s move for PSG winger – Paper Talk | Football News
U.S. Senate is debating NIL and transfer portal. And awarding Missouri the 1960 national title
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