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Germany won’t be advancing to the round of 16 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and some might think the Germans have a legitimate gripe about how their loss to Paraguay in the round of 32 unfolded.
In the final minutes of the first half of extra time, Germany defender Jonathan Tah scored on a header off a corner kick that would’ve given his side a 2-1 lead. However, it was determined that Germany defender Waldemar Anton fouled Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill after a VAR review, disallowing the goal.
Germany went on to lose in penalty kicks in arguably one of the biggest upsets in men’s World Cup history. Before Germany’s loss, though, at least one former goalkeeper sided with the Germans over 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” in between the extra time periods. “I actually don’t think Anton did anything. He’s just there. The goalkeeper runs straight into him, and I think they got that wrong.”
Not everyone on the panel agreed with Schmeichel. Former Nigeria midfielder John Obi Mikel argued that the attacker’s positioning justified the referee’s whistle, noting that the player was blocking the keeper without looking at the play.
“I think it’s a foul,” Mikel said. “For me, when he impeded the goalkeeper, you can see the goalkeeper has his eyes on the ball. He has his eyes on the ball all the way through and the player’s 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 looks a bit soft. But I think the referee has made the right decision.”
Former USA forward Clint Dempsey broke the tie on the panel, choosing to back Schmeichel’s perspective.
“When you’ve got a goalkeeper who is a part of the goalkeeper union who 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 good of a chance to take the lead as it did at that moment. It wound up losing in penalty kicks, 4-3, with Tah missing a penalty kick in the final round before Paraguay’s José Canale scored, continuing a rough streak for Germany in recent World Cups.
