@nick

17h

The Legend of EL FLACO

In 2018, Orlando Gill was playing amateur football and wondering if his dream had already slipped away. As recently as last year, he was merely the backup goalkeeper at San Lorenzo de Almagro in the Argentine Football League. Today, he is the man who helped eliminate Germany from the World Cup. The 6’6 Paraguayan goalkeeper has authored one of the great stories of this tournament. After standing tall through 120 exhausting minutes, Gill became a national hero in the penalty shootout, making the decisive saves that sent Paraguay into the round of 16 and one step closer to immortality. The journey here has been anything but straightforward. There were times when football barely paid the bills. Gill’s wife once revealed that he sold some of his equipment so the family could afford food while their son fought for his life in the hospital. For years he struggled for recognition in Paraguay and eventually moved to Argentina in search of an opportunity. That opportunity arrived by pure chance. San Lorenzo had been pursuing Keylor Navas but financial difficulties prevented the move. With no new goalkeeper arriving, manager Miguel Russo handed Gill an unexpected opportunity. He took it with both of his big ol hands and never gave it back, establishing himself as the club’s No. 1. His teammates affectionately called him El Flaco which means “The Skinny” or “The Lean One” because of his tall lanky build and stretch-armstrong shot stopping abilities. Now the rest of the world knows his name. From amateur footballer to reserve goalkeeper to World Cup giant killer, El Flaco has become the face of Paraguay’s remarkable run. Every tournament produces a folk hero, a player whose story reminds us why the World Cup captures the imagination like nothing else. This summer, that hero wears gloves and a shiny purple shirt.

PAR1

1GER

8.7•126 fans average

Replies:

The Berlin Wall has Fallen

Prior to this game, Germany had been essentially perfect on penalty shootouts at the World Cup. They scored: 5/6 in 1982 4/4 in 1986 4/4 in 1990 and 4/4 in 2006 They had not missed a World Cup penalty since 1982. 14 straight penalties in a row had gone in the net before today. By missing 3 in this game, they have not only quadrupled their all-time total of missed penalties, they have also lost their first World Cup penalty shootout ever.

@Landon

8.6

Down Goes The Netherlands

The Netherlands have qualified for 12 World Cup in their country’s history. They have never won a World Cup, but they have never been eliminated before the round of 16. In all 11 tournaments they have never been eliminated in the group stage or in the round of 32. Until last night when they faced off against Morocco. That 11 year streak comes to an end. The Netherlands have been eliminated in the round of 32. Another World Cup goes by without the Dutch hoisting any trophy, any medal, or anything to truly be proud of. They definitely could have won this game but they appear to change how they played and seemed off all night. The Netherlands will be back in 2030, it’s just what version of them will we see?

@mollieb

4.7

Surprisingly Rare Feat (that no one wants)

Panama is the only team in the 2026 World Cup that finished the group stage without scoring a single goal. I was really rooting for them in this final England game. I don’t even think England was giving them a particularly hard time. It is a surprisingly rare feat in a 48-team tournament to not score a single goal. Every other team scored at least once. Rough asf.