Paraguay coach Gustavo Alfaro described Monday's epic win over Germany on penalties as the "greatest victory of [his] life" and hailed his "26 legends."
Alfaro's men held Germany to a 1-1 draw after extra-time before beating the four-time world champions 4-3 on penalties to reach the round of 16 for the first time since 2010.
"The warriors left the field as legends," Alfaro said. "It was an epic game. It is undoubtedly the most important victory of my career. That's why I thanked the players -- thank you for giving me an unforgettable evening.
"My eyes and senses weren't enough to take it all in during that absolute display of love from these players. It was the greatest victory of my life, and I hope we'll have more like it."
Germany dominated possession and had seven shots on target. Paraguay, who reached the quarterfinals in 2010 but missed the next three World Cups, showed exceptional defensive resilience and courage.
"What these guys did never ceases to amaze me," Alfaro said. "We only had one practice. We lost several players along the way, and that was yet another setback."
Alfaro highlighted the performance of centre-back José Canale. On the books of Argentinian side Lanús, Canale, 29, was outstanding in only his fifth appearance for the national team. He scored the winning spot-kick.
"Canale played as if he'd played 100 games in the national team jersey," Alfaro said.
Thousands of jubilant fans took to the streets in Asunción to celebrate their team's feat against the first Germany side to lose a penalty shootout at a World Cup.
Paraguay President Santiago Peña declared Tuesday a public holiday in honor of the national team's achievement.
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"Paraguay had to wait 16 years for this [reach the round of 16] -- that's a very long time," Argentinian-born Alfaro said. "A national holiday is such a rare occasion. The power of soccer is wonderful -- may everyone in Paraguay enjoy it."
Paraguay's opponent in the round of 16 will either be France or Sweden.
"We're allowed just a few hours to enjoy this -- then we have to rest again," Alfaro said. "We might be eliminated in the next round, but we'll see. We must continue to maintain faith, conviction, and humility."
