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Zlatan Ibrahimovic's brutal verdict on Germany's World Cup collapse after defeat on penalties: ‘Hero or zero’
Zlatan Ibrahimovic said Germany's exit summed up the unforgiving nature of knockout football, where missed chances often come back to haunt teams.
Germany's World Cup struggles continued with another early exit, as the four-time champions failed to make a lasting impact at the tournament for the third straight edition. Since lifting the trophy in 2014, Germany have been unable to recapture the consistency and authority that once defined them, and the defeat to Paraguay only added to that decline. The Round of 32 clash ended 1-1 after extra time before Germany suffered the first penalty shootout defeat in their World Cup history. They failed to cope with the pressure from the spot, while Paraguay held their nerve to secure a famous place in the Round of 16.
Veteran Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic said Germany's exit summed up the unforgiving nature of knockout football, where missed chances often come back to haunt teams. He also credited Paraguay for their disciplined defending and outstanding goalkeeping, adding that once a match goes to penalties, there are no favourites.
“This is the game. Win or lose. There's no second chance like you have in the group stage and if you don't score those goals, they had great opportunities to score. The goalie of Paraguay might have had a game of his life, and then when it comes to penalties, 50/50, there is no favourite winning in penalties. But Paraguay is solid, defending good and keeping that box tight. Germany pushing, the Deutsche machine pushing, pushing, great chances. This is lottery. Penalties, it's like you're a hero or you're zero," Zlatan said on Fox Sports.
Julio Enciso gave Paraguay a deserved first-half lead in Foxborough, but Kai Havertz brought Germany level after the break to keep the four-time world champions in the contest. Germany looked the more likely side to find a winner in extra time, only for Jonathan Tah to see what appeared to be the decisive goal ruled out. The match eventually went to penalties, where Paraguay held their nerve to win 4-3 after a 1-1 draw. Goalkeeper Orlando Gill emerged as the hero, producing two crucial saves to send Paraguay into the Round of 16 and condemn Germany to another painful World Cup exit.
Also Read - Paraguay knock out four-time champions Germany on penalties in World Cup shocker to reach round of 16
“I'm sorry for Tah”: Zlatan
He also expressed sympathy for Germany defender Jonathan Tah, whose dramatic evening swung from celebration to heartbreak. Ibrahimovic said football can be brutally unforgiving, with players often going from hero to villain in a matter of moments, and stressed the importance of staying mentally strong after such setbacks.
"And I'm sorry for Tah. He scored the winning goal, but they took it away from him and then he missed a penalty. It's from hero to you might get criticised by the media and that, so it becomes zero. So, this is the game. You need to be strong mentally and keep going and unfortunately the Deutsche machine, they go back home," he added.
