Paraguay coach Gustavo Alfaro praised his players for producing an "extraordinary" performance after beating Germany on penalties to secure a place in the World Cup last 16 on Monday.

Julio Enciso gave Paraguay a first-half lead in Foxborough, but Kai Havertz equalised and it appeared four-time world champions Germany would eventually scrape through in extra time.

However, Jonathan Tah had a goal chalked off and Paraguay won 4-3 in a dramatic shootout as goalkeeper Orlando Gill made two crucial saves, after a 1-1 draw. 

"I experienced it with great intensity, like everyone," said Alfaro. 

"It was a match full of tension from start to finish because we knew we were facing one of the main title contenders, a rival of enormous quality who, beforehand, were favourites."

Alfaro said his team executed the game plan effectively, limiting Germany's ability to impose their style. 

"The players understood perfectly what the match required and put in a huge effort to prevent Germany from finding spaces and playing their game," he said.

He acknowledged the physical toll of the contest, pointing to the demanding conditions on a hot day in Massachusetts. 

"It's true we lacked certain things, but the demands of the match were very high. The temperature was high and the constant effort to recover and close down spaces often left us with less energy to attack," Alfaro added.

Germany had never before lost a World Cup shootout, but Paraguay held their nerve to win it -- even after Antonio Sanabria and Fabian Balbuena missed kicks that would have secured victory.

Even that, Alfaro felt, was part of Paraguay's identity.

"It seems if we don't suffer, it doesn't count. The shootout was dramatic, going to the sixth penalty," he said, before dedicating the win to supporters.

"This qualification is for all Paraguayans who believed in us."

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The hosts wear pajamas for night games and jokes fly -- but discomfort is growing over the pushing of bets on a YouTube channel that has reshaped how Brazilians are watching the World Cup.

A record 18 million viewers tuned in to watch Brazil's match against Scotland on CazeTV, which has become a major competitor to media giants like Globo and ESPN in just four years on air.

It is the only place Brazilians can watch all 104 matches of the 2026 World Cup for free, with exclusive rights to 49 games.

In one segment, fans are encouraged to send in videos of themselves shouting out of their windows to celebrate goals.

"Young people are no longer just spectators ... they want to take part" in the broadcasts, Bruno Brum, from marketing agency End to End, told AFP.

But in Brazil, where sports gambling and addiction have exploded in recent years, questions have arisen over the constant display of QR codes linking to betting sites and hosts offering betting tips in the middle of matches.

This prompted a public consumer protection body to open an investigation this week into suspected "abusive advertising."

In response, the channel announced it would take a more cautious approach to such ads, which have since decreased.

"It's crazy to encourage people to gamble during a football match," center-left lawmaker Tabata Amaral told AFP.

She has introduced a bill aimed at restricting advertising for betting websites, whose logos already appear on the shirts of most top-flight Brazilian clubs.

The government of leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva considers online gambling a public health issue, particularly among lower-income Brazilians who fall into debt to place bets.

- 'Revolutionary' -

CazeTV has shot past 35 million subscribers during the World Cup. 

On Wednesday, 18.3 million devices were connected during Brazil's 3-0 win over Scotland, setting a new global YouTube livestream record, according to FIFA.

The driving force behind the project, 32-year-old Casimiro Miguel, better known as "Caze," first rose to prominence as a Twitch streamer known for his sharp humor.

A chubby-cheeked caricature of Miguel serves as the logo of the channel, co-founded by sports marketing agency LiveMode.

Ivan Martinho, a professor at the ESPM marketing school, believes the "true transformation" in sports broadcasting is in consumer behavior.

Brazil, a country of 213 million people, has more cellphones than inhabitants.

"From the very beginning ... our audience has been part of the broadcast. That's what shaped our tone and our format," LiveMode co-founder Sergio Lopes told AFP.

With paid streaming platforms becoming increasingly numerous and expensive, 22-year-old student Samuel do Carmo is delighted to be able to watch the World Cup for free.

"What they're doing is revolutionary," he said at Casa CazeTV, where the channel set up a venue for fans to watch their broadcasts on giant screens.

Rosana Lima, a 48-year-old supporter, finds the hosts hilarious, but their offering is not universally appreciated.

"The CazeTV commentators' habit of shouting at every play wears on one's patience," wrote Amauri Segalla, an editor of the Veja magazine wrote in a column. 

"On social media, everything has to be bigger than life; everything has to generate clips, engagement, and shares," he complained.

Next year, the channel will hold broadcasting rights for the five major European soccer leagues: Spain, England, Italy, France, and Germany.

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