Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann has blamed his side’s slow build-up play and inability to capitalize on their chances for the team’s elimination from the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The four-time world champions were knocked out in the Round of 32 after drawing 1-1 with Paraguay before suffering a 4-3 defeat in the penalty shootout.
Speaking after the match, Nagelsmann admitted Germany failed to control the game despite enjoying long spells of possession.
“We are all disappointed because we believed we could go further in the tournament,” he said. “We took too long to make our opponents chase the game and should have delivered more balls into the penalty area.”
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The German manager stressed that his team should have settled the contest before it reached penalties, adding that their slow build-up allowed Paraguay to remain organized throughout the encounter.
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“Our build-up play was too slow,” Nagelsmann added. “We had opportunities to win the match in normal time, but we didn’t take them.”
Germany’s hopes of progressing ended in the shootout after Kai Havertz, Nick Woltemade and Jonathan Tah all failed to convert their spot kicks, sending Paraguay through to the Round of 16 and bringing Germany’s World Cup campaign to an early end.
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