Julio Enciso just did something no Paraguayan player has ever done. He scored a knockout-stage goal at the FIFA World Cup.
The 22-year-old forward’s 42nd-minute header against Germany at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, gave Paraguay a 1-0 lead in their Round of 32 clash on June 29. It was the kind of moment that makes World Cups worth watching: a team that had failed to score in six previous knockout-round attempts finally breaking through against one of the tournament’s traditional heavyweights.
A goal that defied the math
Here’s what makes Enciso’s goal even more remarkable. The expected goals (xG) value on his header was just 0.06. In English: the data models gave him roughly a 6% chance of putting that ball in the net.
Germany, to their credit, didn’t fold. Kai Havertz equalized shortly after halftime, leveling the match at 1-1. Paraguay, a team with limited possession throughout the match, had proven they belonged on this stage.
