Germany and their football nightmare

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A shock exit at the World Cup

There was a time when Germany were expected to win major football tournaments.

Author | Ed

Including their years as West Germany, they have lifted the World Cup four times, finished runners-up on another four occasions and won three of the six European Championship finals they have contested.

Those days, however, now feel a long way off.

The front page of Tuesday's Bild newspaper captured the mood with the headline: "The next German football nightmare", after Germany's World Cup campaign came to a sudden end in the last 32 with a 4-3 penalty shootout defeat by Paraguay following a 1-1 draw after extra time.

Watch | A former German footballer responds to their defeat and exit

Since winning the World Cup in 2014, Germany have twice failed to progress beyond the group stage and have now been eliminated in the first knockout match they have played at the 2026 tournament.

Paraguay began the competition 41st in the FIFA world rankings, compared with Germany in 10th, but the South Americans still inflicted Germany's first ever defeat in a World Cup penalty shootout.

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