World Cup while you were sleeping: Paraguay stun Germany, Brazil too good for Japan
Germany had never lost a penalty shoot-out at a World Cup, and then they came up against Paraguay. Gabriel Martinelli ends Japan’s run
There has been lots of hand wringing over the state of Asian football given the region’s continuing failure at World Cups; a meagre return of three wins from a combined 27 games this time around will do that for you.
Still, there was some optimism surrounding Japan’s chances of reaching the latter stages of the tournament, especially considering they were facing a Brazil side who, by that country’s standards, are decidedly average.
Unfortunately, an average Carlo Ancelotti team is always going to prove a handful, even if it did need Gabriel Martinelli’s strike deep into stoppage time to seal a 2-1 victory in Houston.
So, the only Asian Football Confederation side with a realistic chance of making the quarter-finals fell at the first knockout hurdle once again, and now all hopes rest on Australia pulling off a shock win against Egypt this weekend.
The story of the day, though, unfolded in Boston, where Paraguay knocked out Germany on penalties, which is where we’ll start our wrap-up of the day’s action so far.
Stunning upset
Germany had reached the knockout stage for the first time since they won the World Cup in 2014; Paraguay were through the group stage for just the fifth time.