Germany players 'dodged' opportunity to take penalty in World Cup shootout defeat

Jonathan Tah stepped up to take the first penalty of his professional career after some of his Germany teammates 'dodged' the responsibility during their shootout defeat to Paraguay, according to reports.

On Monday night, Julian Nagelsmann's side were beaten on penalties by Paraguay, who qualified as one of the best third-placed teams in the group stage.

The shootout has become a huge talking point on social media, especially after captain Joshua Kimmich was spotted speaking to the likes of Leon Goretzka and Nathaniel Brown before Tah stepped up.

In fact, Kimmich asked Goretzka to step up on two occasions but the midfielder 'flatly refused', according to a report from Metro.

Tah went on to miss the decisive spot-kick against Gustavo Alfaro's side after teammates Kimmich, Kai Havertz, Jamal Musiala, Nick Woltemade and Nadiem Amiri made the long walk to the Boston Stadium penalty spot.

Leon Goretzka refusing to take a penalty even after being asked twice by Kimmich

Disgraceful player 🤡 pic.twitter.com/pS5do7HmHG

— BayernTimes (@BayernTimes) June 30, 2026

As the fallout continues from Germany's round of 32 exit, a report from BILD has claimed there had been 'internal difficulties' finding a taker for the sixth penalty kick.

Of course, Tah stepped up to take the first penalty of his professional career but only after some of his teammates 'hesitated' and 'dodged the challenge' when the pressure was on.

Leon Goretzka, Nathaniel Brown, Malick Thiaw, Waldemar Anton and Manuel Neuer failed to take a spot-kick on the night.

Given his perfect record from the spot, some were surprised by Goretzka's no-show. According to Transfermarkt, the 31-year-old midfielder has converted all three of the penalties he's taken.

German media react to shock World Cup exit to Paraguay

Julian Nagelsmann's tenure has come under fire following Germany's early exit from the tournament, with many German outlets mentioning the former Bayern Munich manager when discussing the result.

READ MORE: Joshua Kimmich rips into Germany team after World Cup exit

A poll on the Sky Sport Germany website asked whether the former Bayern Munich boss should keep his job, with 93 per cent of voters calling for him to leave his post.

Bild was also scathing in their assessment, describing the performance as "truly awful", "slow" and "boring".

Spiegel, meanwhile, called it the "decline of a once great football nation" and mentioned that the World Cup failure "bears the name Nagelsmann".

A number of players were singled out by Sky Sport Germany, but once again, Nagelsmann's future was questioned. "The end, however bitter it may have been, is no surprise. Therefore, things cannot continue as they are," they added.