It was a bad day for European teams at the 2026 World Cup.
Both Germany and the Netherlands saw their tournaments end in the cruellest fashion, losing on penalties to Paraguay and Morocco, respectively.
Hang on, let’s just read that back. Germany lost on penalties? What next? Is the sky going to turn green? Will people start wearing shoes on their hands? Will Opta Analyst writers be labelled ‘not all that handsome’?
Yes, in today’s SVQ we’ll be looking at just how remarkably rare it is for Germany to lose a penalty shootout. We’ll also tell you which surprise player is putting up assists at this World Cup.
Our Ask Opta question is all about own goals, while today’s Missing Players is perhaps one for Ghana fans to avoid.
💪 STAT - Germany Lose Their Penalty Powers
In fairness, it was one of the more exciting penalty shootouts.
Germany were trailing 3-2 having taken four penalties, one fewer than their opponents. On the first day of Wimbledon, you could say Paraguay had three ‘match points’.
However, Germany’s Nadiem Amiri scored in between misses from Paraguay pair Antonio Sanabria and Fabián Balbuena, and we were into sudden death.
Then, another twist.
Jonathan Tah blazed his penalty over, and José Canale, who had been an absolute rock at the back for Paraguay, scored to send them through.
It was a big enough shock, given Paraguay had never even scored a goal in a World Cup knockout match prior to the game, but after their 1-1 draw here, they went on to dump the four-time world champions out.
Of course, what was especially surprising was the fact it came via a shootout. Germany have an exceptional record over the years from the spot, and came into this game having won six of their seven previous penalty shootouts at major competitions (World Cups and European Championships).