SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) - In the “do or die” portion of the World Cup, fans traveled far and wide to Boston Stadium and some didn’t even know who they would be watching.

Germany clinched a spot in the knockout stage after defeating the Ivory Coast two-to-one in its second group stage match, then they secured the top spot in Group E on Thursday.

Paraguay didn’t find out they would be playing in Massachusetts until Friday after its group stage results were finalized.

Outside the stadium, Western Mass News spoke with fans who booked some last minute flights and spent hours on the road just to support their home country no matter where they were playing.

One Paraguay fan said they got tickets the very next morning after the game while some Germany fans said they booked their tickets just two days ago. They knew they were coming to this game.

The last time Germany and Paraguay faced each other was in 2002 when Germany beat Paraguay one-nothing in the Round of 16.

Now, 24 years later, Paraguay is going to have to continue on their tough defensive streak. They’ve had back-to-back clean sheets to close out the group play while Germany secured a whooping 10 goals throughout their start to the tournament.

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