Published Jul 22, 2026, 5:01 AM ET · Updated 4 months ago · 1 source
World Cup 2026 awards: the Guardian team give their final tournament verdicts
guardian
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Original Report
INFERY
Paraguay 1-1 Germany. There were plenty more games with more goals but none could match the drama of the penalty shootout in this last-32 tie. Germany aren’t supposed to lose in them but they did this time in spectacular fashion. Ed Aarons Algeria 3-3 Austria was a completely strange fever dream, seeming to exist on a separate plane of reality. I know that sounds grandiose but remember, going into this one the expectation was that it would be a biscotto – a meaningless, pre-arranged kickabout wh