Undav handed first World Cup start as Germany return to knockout stage against Paraguay after 12-year wait

Historic return to the knockout stage

Germany are playing their first World Cup knockout match since Mario Götze’s winner in the 2014 final. For Paraguay, the wait has been even longer, their last appearance in the last 16 stretching back to a quarter-final run in 2010. The round of 32 tie at Gillette Stadium pits Julian Nagelsmann’s four-time champions against a Paraguay side that celebrated qualification with a national holiday.

Undav’s first start

Deniz Undav, the tournament’s top marksman from the bench with three goals and two assists, replaces Jamal Musiala in Nagelsmann’s lineup. The Stuttgart forward has been one of the standouts of a group stage that saw Germany thrash Curacao 7‑1, edge Ivory Coast 2‑1 and lose 2‑1 to Ecuador with qualification already secured. Paraguay arrive after a 4‑1 defeat to the United States, a 1‑0 win over Turkey and a 0‑0 draw with Australia.

It’s not going to be pretty but the result will count.

German fans eye France beyond Paraguay

Around a thousand Germany supporters gathered in Boston on the eve of the match, many voicing cautious confidence about clearing the South American hurdle while acknowledging that a likely last‑16 meeting with France would be a sterner test.

We are Germany so we are not scared of anyone. In 2014 nobody thought that we can win it so why shouldn’t we do it this year?

Paraguay’s head coach Gustavo Alfaro has urged his squad to draw inspiration from World Cup qualifying victories over Argentina and Brazil. The winner of tonight’s tie will face either France or Sweden, who meet on Tuesday.

Tournament trends

FIFA’s technical study after 72 group games highlighted the impact of substitutes, who accounted for 43 of the 215 goals scored so far. Senegal lead that list with four, while Undav’s three efforts off the bench underline Germany’s depth. Counter‑pressing has also been a defining feature, with the United States, Ecuador, Canada and Germany singled out for immediate reactions after losing possession.

The technical quality of the shot, the precision and decision‑making has been incredible.

France wait on the winner

France, who topped their group with a perfect nine points, are expected to dispatch Sweden on Tuesday but Didier Deschamps’ side have conceded more chances than their 10‑goal tally suggests. The twice world champions scored 10 times from an expected‑goals figure of just 5.0, the highest over‑performance in the competition.

We have to score one more goal, not give up what we’re capable of doing.

Adrien Rabiot insisted that the painful last‑16 exit to Switzerland at Euro 2020 has sharpened the squad’s focus and dismissed any suggestion of complacency against Sweden.