Germany flight for World Cup knockout tie delayed after squad member forgets passport

Germany were unexpectedly delayed when travelling to Boston for their World Cup round of 32 clash against Paraguay.

And it was a rookie error that left the four-time champions waiting outside on the tarmac, as an unidentified member of their group forgot their passport.

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Stopped in their tracks

According to German outlet Bild, the flight the German squad were taking to tonight’s game was held back for over 20 minutes

Ultimately, Julian Naglesmann’s side were saved in the nick of time, as a driver delivered the passport to the runway.

One of the security officers working with the travelling squad then had to bring the documentation aboard the plane.

This meant that by the time the issue had been resolved, Germany were 22 minutes behind their scheduled 3:30pm departure time.

The delay came following another incident in the airport in North Carolina that involved goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.

Germany’s No.1 set off the metal detectors as a result of the multiple screws in his right foot due to his past injuries.

Despite the inconvenience, the players made the best of things, with both Neuer and Jamal Musiala signing autographs for fans at the airport.

The group flew from their base in North Carolina to Boston ahead of their first knockout clash at the Gilette Stadium.

High hopes

Germany will be favourites up against Paraguay, but head into the match off the back of a shock defeat in their final group game.

Ecuador upset the 2014 world champions with a 2-1 victory, as Gonzalo Plata netted the winner in the 77th minute.

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The defeat ended Germany’s 11-match winning run, but they still progressed to the round of 32 as group winners.

And with Paraguay sitting 13 places below Ecuador in FIFA‘s world rankings, Die Mannschaft will surely fancy their chances tonight.

The Central American nation racked up four points in Group D, managing a win, a draw and a loss against Turkey, Australia and the USA respectively.

As for Germany, this is their first appearance in the World Cup knockout stage in 12 years.

Since tasting glory in Brazil in 2014, they have failed to progress out of the group stage, falling in the first round in both Russia and Qatar.

But Nagelsmann’s group have renewed hope this time around, while they also have an outside chance of a Golden Boot win among their ranks.

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Despite not starting any games, Deniz Undav is Germany’s top scorer at the World Cup with three goals in three outings.

This puts him among the early pacesetters, but he is still some way behind Lionel Messi at the top of the goalscoring charts.

The Argentine icon boasts a staggering six goals in three games; Messi has already smashed Miroslav Klose’s all-time World Cup goal record along the way.