FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Orlando Gil knew that Paraguay was a big underdog against Germany in the opening World Cup playoff match against Germany. He was a little scared himself when facing Germany's great Manuel Neuer. But the 26-year-old goalkeeper, playing in his first World Cup, outplayed Neuer in the penalty shootout to help La Albirroja send the four-time World Cup champion home.
At 6 feet 6 inches, the monolith playing for the Argentine club San Lorenzo helped Paraguay advance to the round of 16 by beating Turkey 1-0 in a group match and drawing Australia 0-0. But Gil had to be even better against Germany, which had the ball twice as much as Paraguay and tried to score 21 times to Paraguay's seven.
"It was like a horror movie. The Germans were everywhere," Gil said. "I still can't believe it."
And behind them was Neuer, playing in his fifth World Cup, who led Germany to the 2014 championship — and finished third in the Ballon d’Or voting that year behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi — and took Bayern Munich to two Champions League titles and 13 Bundesliga championships.
"Neuer is a world-class goalkeeper," Gil said. "I shared the penalty shootout with him, and he managed to stop a penalty as well. I have nothing but respect for a star like him."
In regulation, Gil made one mistake when Kai Havertz tied it 1-1 in the 54th minute. Another German goal — a potential game-winner — was disallowed in the 12th minute of extra time after video review determined Waldemar Anton had impeded Gil to clear a path for Jonathan Tah.
And when it came to penalties, Gil earned the game's best player award. Gil put Paraguay ahead by stopping Havertz's first penalty kick — extending his right arm to deflect the ball away. Paraguay made its first three kicks to go up 3-2 before Gil made another save, this time on Niklas Süle.
That meant Paraguay needed to make just one of its last two kicks to win it. But Antonio Sanabria sent his shot wide left, and Neuer stopped Fabian Balbuena to make the penalty shootout unexpectedly close. Tah hit the crossbar before José Luis Candido beat Neuer.
"Now, with a cool head, I will sit down and analyze what we accomplished," Gil said, with Paraguay's next match against France or Sweden on Saturday in Philadelphia. "We managed to last 120 minutes and luck was on our side in the penalty shootout."
The loss continues a disappointing streak for Germany that now includes group stage eliminations in the last two World Cups and a round of 32 exit in 2018. It hasn't won a playoff game since the 2014 final.
"You talk about expectations: That's 11 or 12 years and we've fallen short," Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann said. "That's enough for German football."
Midfielder Jude Bellingham said the team was full of good young players — a reason for optimism for the future.
"But talking about the future in the moment is the wrong decision, I think, it's the wrong decision," Bellingham said. "I feel for everyone, very disappointed. It was a shocking end to the game. Finding the right words in this moment is very difficult."
The round of 16 match ended 1-1 after extra time. Paraguay took the lead when Julio Enciso headed in a late goal in the second half. Kai Havertz tied it for four-time champion Germany in the 52nd minute.
Paraguay will next face the winner of France and Sweden on July 4 in Philadelphia in the round of 16. A win in that match would send them back to Foxborough for a quarterfinal match on July 9.
Germany had won penalty shootouts in six of its seven major tournaments, including six in a row since losing to Czechoslovakia in the 1976 European Championship final.
The only previous match between the teams in a World Cup saw Germany win 1-0 against Paraguay in the round of 16 in 2002. Nearly a quarter-century later, Paraguay has its revenge.
Paraguay had appeared in playoff games five times before, but failed to score in each. It advanced only once from those previous appearances, beating Japan 5-4 in a penalty shootout in the quarterfinals in 2010. That year, it reached the quarterfinals and faced future champion Spain.
On Monday, Germany took a 2-1 lead in the 102nd minute when Jonathan Tah headed in a corner kick that was above Orlando Gil's reach. But video review determined Waldemar Anton had pushed Gil to the ground before the shot, and the goal was disallowed.
Paraguay's World Cup journey continues, with a potential quarterfinal match on July 9 in Foxborough.
