German sports outlet SPOX reconstructed Germany’s penalty shootout preparations using audio captured by the Spidercam flying camera, and a sequence involving Leon Goretzka has sparked widespread debate.
Three German players — Kai Havertz, Nick Woltemade and Jonathan Tah — all missed their spot kicks. Half of the six designated penalty takers failed to convert, consigning Germany to a historic early exit at the first knockout round. After the match, Germany’s head coach, players and football experts all agreed not to blame the players who missed penalties, yet a brief TV clip captured near the centre circle during the shootout has left lingering questions.
After Germany’s first two penalties were missed, the team stood on the brink of elimination. Paraguay then missed their opening spot kick, handing Germany a flicker of hope. Following a short celebration in the centre circle, captain Joshua Kimmich took charge of the situation. He had already calmly converted Germany’s second penalty earlier in the shootout.
Kimmich went around asking each remaining teammate to lock in the order of subsequent takers. Microphones fitted to the so-called Spidercam captured all on-pitch chatter, so his words were clearly audible on the broadcast feed.
“Nene (Nathaniel Brown) eighth?” Kimmich first asked the group, marking Nathaniel Brown, who nodded in agreement, as a potential eighth taker. The captain then turned to seasoned veteran Leon Goretzka and asked: “Or Leon, will you step up?”
However, the 31-year-old midfielder gave no signal that he was willing to volunteer at that moment. Instead, Goretzka briefly puffed out his cheeks, and his body language read as a clear refusal.
Tah Had Never Taken a Penalty Before
Kimmich plainly recognised Goretzka’s reluctance. After a short pause, the captain pointed to the midfielder and stated firmly: “Ninth!” slotting him behind left-back Brown. Centre-back Waldemar Anton was then assigned the tenth spot by Kimmich.
Goretzka has never been widely regarded as a reliable penalty taker throughout his career. His only professional spot-kick came back in 2017, when he represented FC Schalke 04. Even so, being placed third from last in the shooting order still came as a major surprise. The other available options carried equally high risk: Tah, who ultimately missed the decisive sixth-round penalty, had never taken a single penalty in his professional career prior to this shootout. Brown was only earning his eighth senior cap for Germany against Paraguay and also had zero prior penalty-taking experience.
Goretzka Reluctant to Take Penalty
In addition, striker Nick Woltemade endured a lacklustre second half of his club season in England and did not see a single minute of match time during Germany’s World Cup group stage. He entered the Paraguay knockout clash with visibly low confidence.
No definitive answer has emerged as to why the experienced Goretzka felt unable to shoulder penalty responsibility at such a pivotal stage, even after the final whistle. This awkward moment also stands in stark contrast to his previous public statements on leadership: last autumn, the midfielder openly emphasised his role as a team leader, stating he hoped to guide and support Germany’s many younger players by setting an example ahead of them.
