Football Extra newsletter: Tears of joy as superhuman Paraguay stun Germany

Paraguay has declared Tuesday a public holiday amid wild celebrations in the wake of the country's stunning penalty shootout victory against Germany yesterday [Getty Images] This is my full column from the BBC Football Extra newsletter. If you're outside the UK and would like to sign up, head this way . I went to the Germany v Paraguay match expecting the usual. A gutsy performance from the underdogs and the European giants eventually swatting them aside late on. What I didn't expect was one of the most memorable finishes to a game I have ever had the pleasure to be at. It was effort to a superhuman level from every single Paraguay player. For the fans here in Boston and those back watching in Asuncion it was an emotional experience bordering on a religious one by the end. Around us in the commentary box there were levels of excitement you simply never see from the media in Europe. The Paraguayan journalists and broadcasters were breaking down and crying but somehow it felt absolutely right. This will go down in history as one of the nation's greatest days and in goalkeeper Orlando Gill and centre back Jose Canale they have new heroes for the ages. Considering neither were considered first choice pre-tournament, it was extraordinary to see them deny some of the highest profile players in the world time and again. Then for the keeper to be the hero in the penalty shoot out and Canale to lash in the winning spot kick – it was pure Hollywood here in Boston. I thought I was going to have one of those quiet predictable evenings but you know what they say: the greatest days and nights, they are the ones you least expect. Inside Paraguay's tears of joy over their seismic World Cup shock Clarke calls time on Scotland Steve Clarke departs as Scotland's longest-serving manager after a tenure stretching 81 games [Getty Images] I thought I might have a quiet evening up in Boston a few days earlier and that didn't work out either. I watched England beat Panama in a local bar – not Cheers, seeing as you asked – and thought I would get an early night to recover from my recent city-hopping. I had just closed my eyes in bed when the phone went into meltdown. My old mate, the Scotland manager Steve Clarke, had resigned the moment the country was officially out of the World Cup. It felt like our most successful ever manager, who qualified for three major competition out of four, had been hounded out by online anger because he couldn't provide wins against the fifth (Brazil) and sixth (Morocco) best teams in world football. During a quick exchange of texts subsequently, he told me that it just felt like the right time, even if it was a difficult decision. At least it was his call to go – but I just wonder, if we Scots are made to wait another 26 years to qualify for the World Cup again, will the majority of the angry online warriors say: "Oops, sorry, we got that wrong." Somehow I think that is rather unlikely. No Scotland, no party I had already been stationed in Boston for the France first XI vs Norway reserves game a few days ago before I went to Germany vs Paraguay yesterday. But there seemed to be something missing in the city. The locals turned up again at the Patriots Stadium but it took a while to figure out what was absent. It was World Cup fever. The Bostonians seem quite forlorn without the fever-driven Scottish invasion of the previous fortnight. The city centre has been fun but certainly not fizzing with excitement to the same level. I popped up to the Harvard Art gallery, which is very much worth a visit. There was little or no evidence of French, Norwegian, German or Paraguayan fans. Outside the Metro station there was however a rather serious statue of the austere looking Senator Charles Sumner, which still had a traffic cone placed at a jaunty angle on his head. It was a sad reminder that the Tartan Army had departed, taking its joy with them and leaving only memories and the odd traffic cone to remember them by. That was until the Paraguay produced their magic and Boston came alight again, albeit in smaller numbers. There's nothing like knockout jeopardy Morocco triumphed against the Netherlands after one of the most dramatic penalty shootouts since... Paraguay beat Germany a few hours earlier [Getty Images] This new group stage format had dragged on a little for some. Perhaps there were too many teams to get to grips with, unless you were totally committed and didn't have to sleep or indeed work for a living. A multitude of games at a multitude of different times have been hard to follow and the group complexities for third-place qualifiers were only understood by mathematicians and geeks. This has all gone now and it could well be that this extra round of knockout games makes this World Cup uniquely exciting from here on in. I am not buying into the argument that "this has been the best World Cup ever" yet, but it could be that the excitement of the 16 extra sudden death ties is the making of it. After all, the first of the extra knockout games was won by Canada's 92nd-minute winner against South Africa. Then Brazil won in the 95th minute before Paraguay had us on the edge of our seats until the last penalty kick. The shootout between Netherlands and Morocco may even have topped that, somehow. Let just say it could be brilliant from here on in if this jeopardy continues. Flawed favourites France will need to sure things up at the back if they are to live up to their label as tournament favourites [Getty Images] My favourites France face Sweden today and I am popping down on the train from Boston to New York to watch them. There is a slight concern for those of a Gallic persuasion; going forward the French are stunning and stylish. This tends to stick in your mind after the game but the niggling doubt is that, even against Norway's second string last time out, they still allowed the opposition far too many golden opportunities to score. This is why every time I speak to a French fan they are confident but not overly so. Full back Theo Hernandez had a very difficult afternoon against Oscar Bobb and centre backs Dayot Upemecano and Maxence Lacroix didn't look like a steady partnership. Didier Deschamps will hope that William Saliba is back fit and healthy for this one. If that is the case, they will remain favourites if they beat the Swedes. With Paraguay lying in wait, they will not expect lightning to strike twice, even in this stormy season.