Paraguay

Paraguay's World Cup ended in the round of 16, beaten 1-0 by France.

France were much the better team and had the ball for most of the game.

But Paraguay made them fight for it, playing very physically and making a big fuss over every small contact.

That kept the score at 0-0 for a long time and made the whole night tense.

But in the end France found a way through when Kylian Mbappe scored a penalty in the 70th minute to win it 1-0.

It was a tough, ugly game, and Paraguay went down to a single goal against one of the favorites.

Even in defeat there is a lot to be proud of, so it is worth looking back at the whole run.

They came through the group by losing 1-4 to the United States, beating Turkey 1-0, and drawing 0-0 with Australia.

Then came the night of their lives, when they knocked out 4-time champions Germany in the round of 32.

Julio Enciso put them in front in the 42nd minute, Havertz made it 1-1 in the 53rd, and after 1-1 through extra time Paraguay won the shootout 4-3.

It was the first time ever that Germany had lost a World Cup penalty shootout, and the whole country of Paraguay declared a public holiday to celebrate.

Coach Gustavo Alfaro took a team that had waited 16 years to get back and turned it into giant-killers.

They are out, but after beating Germany and pushing France so hard, Paraguay go home with their pride sky-high.