Klopp Blasts VAR Over Disallowed Tah Goal: ‘Arsenal Wouldn’t Be English Champions’ After Germany’s World Cup Exit

Germany’s 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign came to a stunning end at the Round of 16 stage, as Paraguay eliminated the four-time world champions on penalties — a result that might have been different had a crucial late goal been allowed to stand.

Defender Jonathan Tah appeared to have won the match for Germany in extra time, heading home from a corner to make it 2-1. However, VAR intervened and directed the referee to review the build-up play, with officials ruling that Waldemar Anton had obstructed the Paraguay goalkeeper during the set piece. The goal was disallowed, the match went to penalties, and Germany were eliminated.

Speaking on MagentaTV following the defeat, Germany head coach Jurgen Klopp made no effort to conceal his anger at the decision, drawing a direct comparison to Arsenal’s 2025/26 Premier League title-winning season. “If that’s a disallowed goal, then Arsenal wouldn’t be English champions. They scored 60% of their goals like that,” Klopp said.

Klopp also reflected on the broader emotional weight of the loss. “We win the game when the ball goes in. So, of course, this is brutal,” he said. “There are worse things than defeats in sports. But there was only one goal, one dream, and that has been shattered. It was dramatic. There are 500,000 ways to win a football match. You just have to find one.”

Klopp’s reference to Arsenal speaks to the Premier League champions’ well-documented reliance on physical, set-piece situations in and around the opposition box throughout their dominant 2025/26 title campaign under manager Mikel Arteta — a style that drew both admiration and criticism during the domestic season.

The elimination marks a painful chapter in German football history. According to reports, Germany’s exit set an unwanted record, their earliest World Cup elimination in 92 years, underlining the scale of the upset against a Paraguay side that had not previously been considered among the tournament favourites.

Germany’s exit continues a turbulent recent run at major tournaments. The nation failed to progress beyond the group stage at the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups, and while the appointment of Klopp represented a significant shift in ambition and profile for the national team setup, their Round of 16 exit in 2026 will intensify scrutiny over the direction of the programme.

VAR’s role in high-stakes knockout matches has remained a persistent point of contention throughout the 2026 World Cup, with several controversial decisions drawing widespread debate among coaches, players, and supporters. Klopp’s public criticism adds to a growing chorus of voices questioning the consistency of VAR application at the tournament level.

Paraguay, meanwhile, advance to the quarterfinals — one of the most notable upsets of the 2026 edition of the competition.