4 German Players Refused To Take Penalty: How Catastrophe Struck 4-Time Champions In World Cup
Leon Goretzka, Waldemar Anton, Nathaniel Brown, and Malick Thiaw reportedly hesitated when asked to take the 6th penalty against Paraguay, prompting defender Jonathan Tah to step up and take the first-ever spot kick of his professional career.
- Germany was eliminated by Paraguay in the 2026 World Cup Round of 32 after a 3-2 penalty shootout loss
- Four German players reportedly refused to take the sixth penalty, leading Jonathan Tah to step up and miss
- Experienced player Leon Goretzka declined to take despite being asked twice by captain Joshua Kimmich
A catastrophe unfolded for Germany in their FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 clash against Paraguay, who dumped the four-time champions out of the tournament 3-2 (1-1) in a penalty shootout. While debate over the VAR (Video Assistant Referee) denying Jonathan Tah's header in extra time is still ongoing, it has been reported that as many as four Germany players refused to take the sixth penalty after Manuel Neuer's save levelled the scores at 3-3 after five spot-kicks. The revelation truly points out how far Germany have fallen from their glory days.
Germany began their FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign with a 7-1 win over Curacao, but signs of trouble had started to emerge after they narrowly edged Ivory Coast in their second Group E game. Julian Nagelsmann's men refused to learn from their mistakes and ended up losing their final group game to Ecuador 1-2.
Up against Paraguay in their Round of 32 fixture, Germany were held to a 1-1 draw after Tah's extra-time header was chalked off by VAR. With the scores level at 3-3 after a total of 10 spot-kicks, it was Tah who stepped up to take the sixth penalty for Germany.
It was the first-ever penalty kick of Tah's international career, and his effort reflected that lack of experience. Tah's shot went well off target, earning Paraguay a historic win over Germany. While hits and misses are part of the game, what is embarrassing is that as many as four German players refused to take the sixth spot-kick because they were not feeling confident.
Joshua Kimmich asked Leon Goretzka to take the 6th penalty TWICE but he couldn't even look him in his eye….which led to Jonathan Tah taking his first ever penalty in his professional career pic.twitter.com/fG877r7K11
— Chief (@chiefflips) June 30, 2026
According to Germany's Bild, Tah only took the responsibility of taking the sixth penalty kick upon himself after four of his teammates displayed signs of reluctance. Leon Goretzka, Waldemar Anton, Nathaniel Brown, and Malick Thiaw were underconfident about taking a penalty once the sudden-death situation began.
In fact, Goretzka, who has represented his country on 72 occasions, was asked twice by his captain Joshua Kimmich but refused to take on the responsibility.
Goretzka, who was released by Bayern Munich at the end of the 2025-26 season, is one of the most experienced players in the German team. Hence, his decision to not take the penalty was the most surprising of all.
In the end, Germany had misses from Kai Havertz, Nick Woltemade, and eventually Jonathan Tah, as they crashed out of the World Cup without reaching the Round of 16 for the third consecutive time.
Germany
Paraguay