Martinelli Rescues Brazil as German Media Demands Nagelsmann's Head

Last Updated on July 6, 2026

Gabriel Martinelli’s stoppage-time strike sends Brazil into the World Cup quarterfinals with a 2-1 win over Japan in Houston, while Germany’s penalty defeat to Paraguay ignites a full-blown coaching crisis — Die Welt is calling for Jürgen Klopp to replace Julian Nagelsmann.

Martinelli’s Last-Gasp Goal Sends Brazil Into World Cup Quarters

Brazil needed a stoppage-time miracle to avoid a 2026 World Cup shock in Houston on 29 June, with substitute Gabriel Martinelli firing home deep in injury time to seal a 2-1 last-16 victory over Japan. The five-time world champions looked destined for extra time before Martinelli’s decisive finish kept alive their bid for a sixth world title.

Japan, buoyed by a 2-2 draw with the Netherlands in the group stage, contained Brazil with a disciplined defensive block from the first whistle. Kaishu Sano — brother of NEC Nijmegen midfielder Kodai Sano — broke the deadlock in the first half, picking up a misplaced Brazilian pass in midfield, driving past the defence, and slotting precisely into the corner past Alisson Becker. Feyenoord striker Ayase Ueda had earlier headed over from a corner before Sano’s finish rewarded Japan’s patience and organisation.

Carlo Ancelotti needed answers at half-time. The Italian coach brought on Endrick — the teenage striker who moved to Olympique Lyon after limited game time at Real Madrid — to provide more directness in attack. The change shifted the tempo. Japan, who had beaten Brazil 3-2 in a friendly in October 2025 to arrive in Houston with genuine belief, found themselves increasingly pinned back as Brazil raised the pressure in the second half.

Goalkeeper Zion Suzuki kept Japan ahead with a brilliant stop from Bruno Guimarães when a Brazilian equaliser looked certain. Departing Manchester United midfielder Casemiro then nearly forced home the rebound before heading Brazil level at 1-1 moments later. Vinicius Júnior — who had scored four goals in the tournament heading into the match — then twisted past Ajax defender Takehiro Tomiyasu only to see his shot come back off the post via Suzuki’s glove, with 30 minutes still remaining.

Japan reorganised and continued to frustrate, threatening to force extra time as the clock wound down. But Martinelli stepped off the bench to deliver the final blow deep in stoppage time, tucking home Brazil’s last meaningful chance and completing an improbable comeback. Brazil advance to the quarterfinals, where they face the winner of the Ivory Coast versus Norway last-16 tie.

German Media Calls for Klopp as Nagelsmann Refuses to Resign After Paraguay Exit

Germany’s penalty shootout defeat to Paraguay in the last 16 — a third consecutive early World Cup exit for the 2014 world champions — has produced an immediate coaching crisis, with the country’s major newspapers turning on Julian Nagelsmann and calling for Jürgen Klopp to take charge of the national team.

Die Welt ran the headline ‘Time for a new coach’ alongside a photograph of Klopp, who left Liverpool in 2024 and subsequently joined Red Bull. ‘This early elimination is humiliating,’ the paper declared, framing the result as ‘the failure of a coach who could not deliver on his promises.’ Bild went with ‘Another German football nightmare!’, branding the display as ‘slow, boring and listless’ after Germany failed to beat Paraguay in 90 minutes. The Süddeutsche Zeitung called it ‘the next humiliation’, noting that Nagelsmann had publicly set winning the World Cup as his stated goal.

Three German penalties were missed in the shootout, including the first from Kai Havertz. ‘My second World Cup and both times I’ve messed it up. The only thing I can say is: I’m sorry,’ Havertz said after the defeat. ‘It seems like we are a second-rate team. We didn’t play badly in the recent tournaments, but something was always missing. We — especially the players, leaving the coach aside — need to take a hard look at ourselves. We are professional footballers playing for a large country with a rich history, and if you keep going out this early, you don’t deserve it.’

Particular fury fell on the decision to bring Nick Woltemade onto the pitch just before the penalty shootout began. Woltemade was making his tournament debut against Paraguay and was one of the three Germans to miss from the spot. ZDF television analyst Fritzy Kromp — who coaches Werder Bremen’s women’s team — could not hide her disbelief at the substitution. ‘I feel like they broke him, and in the moment you needed him he couldn’t deliver — that leaves me speechless. It’s also unfair on the player,’ Kromp said.

Nagelsmann, whose contract runs until Euro 2028, showed no interest in resigning. ‘I’m available. If the German Football Association wants me, I’ll do the Euros. And if not, they need to let me know. I’m not the type to run away,’ he said. The defeat to Paraguay carries historical weight: it was the first time Germany had ever lost a World Cup match on penalties, despite it being their 12th World Cup game to go to extra time — more than any other nation in the tournament’s history. The 2014 world champions have now exited in the group stage in both 2018 and 2022, and in the last 16 in 2026, going three consecutive tournaments without reaching a quarterfinal.

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