{"id":3937,"date":"2026-06-30T12:35:39","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T12:35:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=3937"},"modified":"2026-06-30T12:35:39","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T12:35:39","slug":"im-sure-hes-proud-of-me-tears-flowed-after-paraguays-stunning-world-cup-upset-of-germany","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=3937","title":{"rendered":"\u2018I\u2019m sure he\u2019s proud of me\u2019: Tears flowed after Paraguay\u2019s stunning World Cup upset of Germany"},"content":{"rendered":"
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FOXBOROUGH \u2014 Fifteen minutes after the final penalty kick hit the net Monday, 2\u00bd hours after he scored one of the biggest goal\u2019s in his country\u2019s history, Paraguay forward Julio Enciso stepped to the podium, his eyes puffy and bloodshot.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more What made AJ Dybantsa the No. 1 pick? He\u2019s the exact type of player NBA teams are looking for.<\/a><\/p>\n

Voice trembling at times, holding back tears, Enciso did his best to put into words the emotion of a shootout win over Germany that marks the biggest upset of this World Cup so far.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the best day of my life,\u201d Enciso said. \u201cI really want to send a big hug to everyone in our country, to all the people. I\u2019m sure it\u2019s the best day of their lives, too.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Related: <\/span><\/span>Photos: Paraguay stuns Germany in Foxborough<\/div>\n

The Paraguayan fans brought an incredible atmosphere to Foxborough on Monday, their singing \u2014 accompanied by drums and cymbals played by fans who might\u2019ve needed their own hydration breaks \u2014 ceaseless through 120 minutes of play.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Enciso\u2019s goal, his first at a World Cup and Paraguay\u2019s first ever in a Cup knockout match, came after 41 minutes of German domination. The Paraguayans didn\u2019t care. They had a 1-0 lead, and the entire team \u2014 reserves and substitutes included \u2014 rushed to the corner flag to celebrate.<\/span><\/p>\n

It was the start of an emotional rollercoaster for Paraguay, which led in the first half only to concede in the second, and then looked to have conceded an extra-time winner only for video review to intervene, and finally enduring a gut-wrenching penalty shootout.<\/span><\/p>\n

After Kai Havertz and Nick Woltemade both had their penalties saved by Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill, Paraguay had two chances to seal the shootout. One went wide left, the other was saved, and it seemed like \u201cLa Albirroja\u201d had thrown it away.<\/span><\/p>\n

Then Germany\u2019s Jonathan Tah blasted his spot kick over the bar, and the Paraguayans didn\u2019t waste a third chance at glory. Jose Canal\u00e9 delivered on Paraguay\u2019s sixth penalty, and in the process delivered perhaps his country\u2019s greatest ever World Cup win.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe can have a thousand defects,\u201d said coach Gustavo Alfaro. \u201cBut we have a heart that never gives up.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Related: <\/span><\/span>Finn: Paraguay\u2019s clash with Germany was a seismic World Cup upset that won\u2019t soon be forgotten<\/div>\n

Canal\u00e9\u2019s finish kicked off raucous celebrations from Gillette Stadium\u2019s upper deck to the streets of Asunci\u00f3n, where the party might not stop until Tuesday. Fortunately, Paraguayan president Santiago Pe\u00f1a has already declared Tuesday a national holiday.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Passion, power, pride, and anger: Willson Contreras was on full display in Monday\u2019s Red Sox win<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the power that football has,\u201d Alfaro said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Alfaro is a coach happy to draw on emotion. The 63-year-old Argentine is best known as much for his philosophical meanderings in press conference as his unwavering dedication to a grinding, results-driven style of soccer that prioritizes practicality over aesthetics.<\/span><\/p>\n

After Paraguay\u2019s pre-World Cup send-off exhibition, Alfaro held back tears as he addressed his adopted nation.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI know what this country feels. I know what 16 long years of waiting, of frustrations, of heartbreaks, of curses, of watching a World Cup on television feel like,\u201d he said as Paraguay headed to its first World Cup since 2010. \u201cI am not going to ask any Paraguayan to be rational. No, quite the contrary. We are prepared to fight. We are prepared to offer our hearts. We are prepared to leave our skin on the pitch. We are prepared to honor the memory of our past.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

On Monday, he said he wanted his team he wanted to see \u201c26 warriors\u201d on the pitch, becoming \u201clegends.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Related: <\/span><\/span>Dell’Apa: Paraguay, perceived slights and all, has its day, leaving Germany to wonder how it\u2019s fallen from soccer\u2019s elite<\/div>\n

Paraguay needed that warrior spirit as a significant underdog against the four-time world champions. But the four stars on the Germans\u2019 shirts made no difference once Canal\u00e9\u2019s winning penalty hit the back of the net.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Canal\u00e9 immediately rushed to goalkeeper Orlando Gill, whose two saves in the shootout put Paraguay on the brink of glory. TV cameras cut to Paraguayan fans in tears, sharing embraces, and waving Paraguayan flags.<\/span><\/p>\n

As for Enciso, all he could think of was his late grandfather, who first sparked his interest in the game, who took young Julio to see \u201cLa Albirroja,\u201d who dreamed of seeing his grandson play at a World Cup someday.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Enciso\u2019s grandfather died in 2023 and never got to see him at the \u201cMundial\u201d \u2014 at least not from this side, anyway.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c[I\u2019m thinking of the Julio] who was sitting next to my grandfather,\u201d Enciso said, holding back tears. \u201cI dedicate this to him. I\u2019m sure he\u2019s proud of me. Honestly, all I can think of is him. Advancing is a gift from God and from him.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Paraguay, perceived slights and all, has its day, leaving Germany to wonder how it\u2019s fallen from soccer\u2019s elite<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sending a big kiss up to my grandfather in heaven.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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