When Bronwyn Wiechmann learned that Germany would be playing in the Round of 32 of the World Cup at Boston Stadium, it felt like there was a small earthquake at the German restaurant and bar that bears her name.
"Somebody at our bar said, 'Oh my gosh, what if Germany comes to Foxborough?' And we all kind of thought it was a joke," Wiechmann said. "They were the first people to be reporting the news. And then, by the end of the day we obviously all knew."
Having Germany play locally made it an all hands on deck situation at Brownyn in Somerville on Monday. Wiechmann said they're a sort of mecca for all things German in Greater Boston. So it was the perfect place for Germany fans who couldn't make it to the match to watch together.
But it was also the perfect place to witness their shock firsthand as Paraguay pulled off a stunning upset in one of the craziest matches of the tournament so far, besting Germany 4-3 on penalties.
Heading into the day, Wiechmann said they were expecting a big crowd.
"A lot of Germans live in the city, live just outside of the city," she said. "So, on a regular basis, we are kind of an invitation to a home away from home."
That home features German comfort food standards like pretzels, schnitzel and frankfurters. And plenty of beer. They even have a nice boot-shaped glass.
Alex Hunt isn't from Germany, but studied a semester there. He appreciated the vibes Bronwyn offered during the World Cup.
"It feels nice to go to a German bar and have German food and German drinks while I cheer on Germany," Hunt said. "I don't really know of many other places in Boston that are like this, really. It's hard to find good German food in New England."
The bar quickly filled up as the match neared kickoff. The crowd of fans, many of whom wore Germany kits, were all joy early on — even if Paraguay hit the first goal of the game. Germany would match that not too long into the second half, anyway.
But despite their statistical dominance, the German side couldn't find the back of the net after that. A would-be potential game winner in extra time was controversially disallowed after German defender Waldemar Anton was called for a foul on Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill after review. The head coaches for both sides were given yellow cards in the ensuing fracas.
If they were on the field, several of the patrons at Bronwyn probably would have gotten their own yellow cards as the tension picked up. After extra time ended 1-1, nobody could look away as Germany had its first penalty shoot-out attempt saved by Gill. The Germans made their next two penalties, but were on life support when the fourth attempt was saved by Gill again. But Paraguay bailed Germany out by failing to convert its next two attempts.
Then, just as the crowd at Bronwyn had hope, Jonathan Tah missed his penalty, Germany's sixth attempt. Paraguay's Jose Canale hit his. And that was it.
The crowd at Bronwyn got a whole lot quieter. Alex Cooney is partially German, but became a full Germany fan after watching the squad win the World Cup in 2014.
He was disappointed in Monday night's result. And that Germany wouldn't get the opportunity to face the winner of Tuesday's France-Sweden match.
Still, he tipped his hat to Paraguay.
"As grumpy as I am, I have to give it to Paraguay, they're great," he said. "I mean, they'll be knocked out by France in the next round, almost for sure."
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