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Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann said he wanted to stay in his job despite the defeat on penalties to Paraguay that sent the four-time World Cup winners crashing out in the last 32 on Monday.
Nagelsmann has a contract up to the 2028 European Championships but Germany’s premature exit from the World Cup will put the 38-year-old under intense scrutiny.
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“I’m not someone who runs away,” he told German broadcaster ZDF. “I want to continue, but in football you don’t always have it in your own hands.
“If the DFB (federation) wants me to, then I will prepare for the European Championship and the Nations League.”
The loss to the South Americans was the first time that Germany have ever lost a penalty shootout at a World Cup — it finished 4-3 after Jonathan Tah blasted his kick way over the bar.
Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, who was at the match in Foxborough, Massachusetts working for German broadcaster MagentaTV, has long been rumoured as a future coach of the national team.
But Klopp refused to be drawn on the possibility on Monday.
“I understand that my name is being mentioned, but this is not the moment to talk about it — and especially not with me,” Klopp said.
Midfielder Nadiem Amiri said Germany still have a bright future but conceded the pain of defeat makes it hard to look too far ahead.
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Several of Germany’s core players may not be around for the next World Cup in 2030, but Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz should be in their prime by then.
Highly-rated teenager Lennart Karl will also be back in the fold, having missed this tournament due to injury.
“We have a lot of young players, a lot of quality in the squad,” said Amiri, who came on deep into extra time and scored his penalty in the shootout.
“But at the moment to think about the future is the wrong decision and I feel for everybody. I’m very sad because it was a shocking end to the game. It’s very difficult to find the right words.”
Paraguay coach salutes ‘extraordinary’ World Cup win over Germany
Paraguay coach Gustavo Alfaro praised his players for producing an “extraordinary” performance after beating Germany on penalties.
Julio Enciso gave Paraguay a first-half lead in Foxborough, but Kai Havertz equalised and it appeared four-time world champions Germany would eventually scrape through in extra time.
However, Jonathan Tah had a goal controversially chalked off and Paraguay won 4-3 in a dramatic shootout as goalkeeper Orlando Gill made two crucial saves, after a 1-1 draw.
Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill fell to ground just before Tah headed home after mild contact was made with Germany’s Waldemar Anton.
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The decision sparked some vicious reaction.
“I don’t agree with that decision at all,” Alan Shearer said on BBC One, saying the referee had been “conned”.
“The keeper falls to the ground on a slight touch and it’s very soft. I thought it was a terrible decision.
“You have to understand it is a contact sport, the goalkeeper has conned the referee and the VAR. The way he went down was pathetic.”
Nagelsmann as also fuming after the match, saying: “In my opinion, this foul was not a real foul; it was actually a joke that his goal was disallowed.”
Meanwhile, Klopp was also left stunned.
The former Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool manager pointed to Premier League champions Arsenal and their approach to set pieces, saying similar decisions would’ve changed the outcome of the entire domestic season.
“If the goal is illegal, then Arsenal won’t be English champions,” Klopp said.
“They’ve scored 60 per cent of their goals that way.
“We [Germany] win the game when the ball goes in. So, of course, this is brutal.”
Now, Paraguay will likely play France, offering the 1998 and 2018 champions a softer run to the quarter finals.
Alfaro said his team executed the game plan effectively, limiting Germany’s ability to impose their style.
“The players understood perfectly what the match required and put in a huge effort to prevent Germany from finding spaces and playing their game,” he said.
He acknowledged the physical toll of the contest, pointing to the demanding conditions on a hot day in Massachusetts.
“It’s true we lacked certain things, but the demands of the match were very high. The temperature was high and the constant effort to recover and close down spaces often left us with less energy to attack,” Alfaro added.
Germany had never before lost a World Cup shootout, but Paraguay held their nerve to win it — even after Antonio Sanabria and Fabian Balbuena missed kicks that would have secured victory.
Even that, Alfaro felt, was part of Paraguay’s identity.
“It seems if we don’t suffer, it doesn’t count. The shootout was dramatic, going to the sixth penalty,” he said, before dedicating the win to supporters.
“This qualification is for all Paraguayans who believed in us.”
