The captain went through the remaining players one by one to determine the subsequent order. Kimmich’s words were clearly audible on the TV broadcast, picked up by the "Spidercam" microphone."Nene, number eight?" Kimmich asked the group, designating Nathaniel Brown—who nodded in agreement—as the potential eighth taker. Immediately afterwards, the captain turned to the experienced Leon Goretzka and asked, "Or Leon, you?"However, the 31-year-old veteran gave no indication that he was ready to step up. Instead, Goretzka briefly puffed out his cheeks and seemed to shake his head in refusal.Kimmich clearly understood Goretzka’s reaction without a doubt. After a brief pause, the captain pointed at the midfielder and slotted him into the ninth spot in the ranking—behind left-back Brown. Immediately afterward, center-back Waldemar Anton was assigned the number ten spot by Kimmich.Although Goretzka is not known as a dedicated penalty specialist—having taken only a single spot-kick in his professional career prior to this, back in 2017 for FC Schalke 04—his ranking as the third-to-last taker was nonetheless surprising. This was particularly true given the significant risks involved in the selection of the other takers: Tah, the sixth kicker who ultimately decided the outcome, had never taken a penalty in his entire career before that moment. Brown, too—playing only his eighth international match against Paraguay—had absolutely no experience from the spot.Why the experienced Goretzka did not feel ready during this critical phase remained unclear even after the final whistle. However, the incident stands in contrast to his own stated ambitions: as recently as last autumn, the midfielder had publicly underscored his leadership role, emphasizing his desire to bring the many young players in the national squad on board, pass on his experience, and lead by example.He stands up against Fascism though.
