Julio Enciso has put Paraguay in front against Germany at the 2026 World Cup — and for a moment, the whole tournament stopped breathing. The round of 32 was supposed to be a formality for one of football's traditional heavyweights. Nobody told Enciso.
Paraguay, the South American underdogs who most neutral fans quietly hoped would cause chaos, have done exactly that. Enciso — the Brighton forward who has made a habit of producing moments that make people look twice — found the net to give Paraguay a shock lead against Germany in their round of 32 tie, according to BBC Sport.
The goal sent the Paraguay bench into scenes you only get in knockout football: pure, unscripted delirium. Germany, meanwhile, had the look of a side that had just been reminded this tournament does not care about reputations.
Germany do not lose World Cup knockout games to Paraguay. Except, right now, they are losing to Paraguay. That sentence is doing a lot of work and it deserves a moment.
This is the kind of result that rewrites the narrative of an entire tournament. A South American nation, ranked nowhere near the top of the bracket, leading one of the sport's most decorated sides in a World Cup knockout match — it is the exact drama that makes the competition what it is. Enciso's goal is not just a statistic; it is a story.
The full result is not yet confirmed — this is the moment the lead was taken, not necessarily the moment the tie ended. Germany will come. They always do. But Paraguay will know that if they can keep their shape, stay compact, and trust the occasion, they have every right to dream about what comes next.
One thing is certain: Enciso has already made sure his name gets remembered from this tournament. Whatever happens from here, that goal exists.
Germany were warned. The corner flag didn't fall on them — but the scoreboard might as well have.
Julio Enciso has put Paraguay in front against Germany at the 2026 World Cup — and for a moment, the whole tournament stopped breathing. The round of 32 was supposed to be a formality for one of football's traditional…
Sources
BBC Sport — Football
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