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Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, while speaking to German broadcaster Magenta TV, questioned the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) decision that ruled out Jonathan Tah's extra-time goal during Germany's FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 defeat to Paraguay.
Speaking to MagentaTV after Germany's elimination, Klopp criticised the VAR decision and took a dig at reigning Premier League champions Arsenal, suggesting that if Tah's goal was illegal, many of Arsenal's set-piece goals would also have been ruled out. "If the goal is illegal, then Arsenal won't be English champions. They've scored 60 per cent of their goals that way," Klopp told MagentaTV. Germany thought they had secured a place in the Round of 16 when Tah headed home from a corner in the 101st minute of extra time. However, following a VAR review, referee Jalal Jayed disallowed the goal after ruling that Germany defender Waldemar Anton had impeded Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill in the build-up. The defeat marked Germany's earliest exit from the FIFA World Cup 2026, while Paraguay progressed to the Round of 16 after a memorable night defined by VAR controversy, defensive resilience and clinical finishing from the penalty spot. It was also only their second defeat on penalties at a major international tournament, the first coming against Czechoslovakia in the 1976 UEFA European Championship final (5-3), as per OptaJoe. The result also ranks among the biggest knockout upsets in modern World Cup history. Germany entered the tournament ranked 10th in the FIFA World Rankings, while Paraguay were 41st, a gap of 31 places. Since 1994, only three World Cup knockout eliminations have featured a larger rankings disparity: Spain's defeat to Russia in 2018 (60 places), Italy's loss to South Korea in 2002 (34 places), and Spain's quarter-final exit to South Korea in 2002 (32 places). (ANI)
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