Germany vs Paraguay shootout defined by penalty refusal

Manuel Neuer turned the final defeat into a more personal end point by confirming his second international retirement. But the detail that will hang over Germany's exit is elsewhere. Four players did not want the sixth penalty, Jonathan Tah had never taken a professional spot kick, and the shootout was already a problem before the last kick was taken.

The penalty problem

The names were Leon Goretzka, Waldemar Anton, Nathaniel Brown and Malick Thiaw. They were all hesitant to take the sixth penalty, and Joshua Kimmich asked Goretzka twice to step up before getting a flat refusal both times.

That left Tah in a role he had never filled before at professional level. It is hard to make the tension around a shootout more visible than that, and harder still to pretend the issue was only about one missed kick at the end.

The wider result did not rescue Germany either. Against Paraguay, Neuer saved Fabian Balbuena’s penalty, but Germany still lost the shootout after a 1-1 draw.

Neuer's final international chapter

Neuer's own role still matters because he was not just another senior player leaving the pitch. He was the sole remaining member of Germany’s 2014 World Cup-winning squad and had 128 caps. He also made two saves in the match, including Balbuena’s penalty, before the night ended in defeat.

His post-match line was blunt enough. Speaking to the Independent, Neuer said: "No. It's very bitter to end it like this."

That is the note this game leaves behind, more than the scoreline itself. Germany's shootout record, the pressure on the takers and Neuer's exit all sit in the same frame now, and the most revealing detail is still the simplest one, that four players did not want the sixth penalty.