Paraguay at the FIFA World Cup explained

The FIFA World Cup is an international association football competition contested by the men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The championship has been awarded every four years since the first tournament in 1930, except in 1942 and 1946, due to World War II.

The tournament consists of two parts, the qualification phase and the final phase (officially called the World Cup Finals). The qualification phase, which currently take place over the three years preceding the Finals, is used to determine which teams qualify for the Finals. The current format of the Finals involves 32 teams competing for the title, at venues within the host nation (or nations) over a period of about a month. The World Cup Finals is the most widely viewed sporting event in the world, with an estimated 715.1 million people watching the 2006 tournament final.

Paraguay have appeared in the finals of the World Cup on eight occasions, the first being at the very first finals in 1930, where they finished in 9th position. Their last participation in the tournament was in 2010, when they reached the quarter-finals for the first time.

Overall record

FIFA World Cup record
YearRoundPosition
Group stage 9th 2 1 0 1 1 3
Did not enter
1938
Group stage 11th 2 0 1 1 2 4
Did not qualify
Group stage 12th 3 1 1 1 9 12
Did not qualify
1966
1970
1974
1978
1982
Round of 16 13th 4 1 2 1 4 6
Did not qualify
1994
Round of 16 14th 4 1 2 1 3 2
16th 4 1 1 2 6 7
Group stage 18th 3 1 0 2 2 2
Quarter-finals 8th 5 1 3 1 3 2
Did not qualify
2018
2022
2026To be determined
2030Qualified as centenary co-host
2034To be determined
Total Quarter-finals 9/25 27 7 10 10 30 38

By match

width=80World Cupwidth=90Roundwidth=150Opponentwidth=70Scorewidth=50Resultwidth=100VenueScorers
1930Group 40–3align=center bgcolor="#ffbbbb"LMontevideo
1–0align=center bgcolor="#bbffbb"WMontevideoL. Peña
1950Group 32–2align=center bgcolor="#ffffbb"DCuritibaA. López, C. López Fretes
0–2align=center bgcolor="#ffbbbb"LSão Paulo
1958Group 23–7align=center bgcolor="#ffbbbb"LNorrköpingF. Amarilla (2), J. Romero
3–2align=center bgcolor="#bbffbb"WNorrköpingJ. Agüero, C. Ré, J. Parodi
3–3align=center bgcolor="#ffffbb"DEskilstunaJ. Parodi, J. Agüero, J. Romero
1986Group B1–0align=center bgcolor="#bbffbb"WTolucaRomerito
1–1align=center bgcolor="#ffffbb"DMexico CityRomerito
2–2align=center bgcolor="#ffffbb"DTolucaR. Cabañas (2)
0–3align=center bgcolor="#ffbbbb"LMexico City
1998Group D0–0align=center bgcolor="#ffffbb"DMontpellier
0–0align=center bgcolor="#ffffbb"DSaint-Étienne
3–1align=center bgcolor="#bbffbb"WToulouseC. Ayala, M. Benítez, J. Cardozo
align=center bgcolor="#ffbbbb"LLens
2002Group B2–2align=center bgcolor="#ffffbb"DBusanR. Santa Cruz, F. Arce
1–3align=center bgcolor="#ffbbbb"LJeonjuC. Puyol (o.g.)
3–1align=center bgcolor="#bbffbb"WSeogwipoN. Cuevas (2), J. Campos
0–1align=center bgcolor="#ffbbbb"LSeogwipo
2006Group B0–1align=center bgcolor="#ffbbbb"LFrankfurt
0–1align=center bgcolor="#ffbbbb"LBerlin
2–0align=center bgcolor="#bbffbb"WKaiserslauternB. Sancho (o.g.), N. Cuevas
2010Group F1–1align=center bgcolor="#ffffbb"DCape TownA. Alcaraz
2–0align=center bgcolor="#bbffbb"WBloemfonteinE. Vera, C. Riveros
0–0align=center bgcolor="#ffffbb"DPolokwane
Round of 160–0
(5–3 pen.)
align=center bgcolor="#ffffbb"DPretoria
Quarter-finals0–1align=center bgcolor="#ffbbbb"LJohannesburg

Record by opponent

FIFA World Cup matches (by team)
OpponentWinsDrawsLossesTotalGoals ScoredGoals Conceded
110232
010100
002204
002238
001101
100110
011213
010100
010111
010100
100131
100132
100120
100131
010122
012314
011223
100120
001103
010133

The results

Paraguay competed at three World Cups by 1958, and after a long gap they re-appeared in 1986. Later, they achieved a streak of four participations: South Africa 2010 was Paraguay's fourth consecutive trip to the World Cup final tournament, having previously qualified for the final in 1998, 2002 and 2006. After a poor qualifying campaign, however, Paraguay failed to qualify for the tournament in 2014, missing out on the chance to play in a World Cup hosted on their own continent, in Brazil. Three times they survived the first round of the international football tournament, with the highlight being in 2010 where they reached the quarter-finals.

1930 FIFA World Cup


UNITED STATES:
GK 1 Jimmy Douglas
DF 2 Alexander Wood
MF 3 Andy Auld
FW 4 Bart McGhee
FW 5 Bert Patenaude
MF 6 Billy Gonsalves
DF 7 George Moorhouse
MF 8 Jim Brown
DF 9 Jimmy Gallagher
DF 10Raphael Tracey
FW 11Tom Florie (c)
Manager:
Robert Millar

PARAGUAY:
GK 1 Modesto Denis
FW 2 Aurelio González
FW 3 Delfín Benítez Cáceres
FW 4 Diógenes Domínguez
MF 5 Eusebio Díaz
MF 6 Francisco Aguirre
DF 7 José Miracca
FW 8 Lino Nessi
FW 9 Luis Vargas Peña (c)
DF 10Quiterio Olmedo
MF 11Romildo Etcheverry
Manager:
José Durand Laguna
Linesmen:
Martin Aphesteguy (Uruguay)
Anibal Tejada (Uruguay)

PARAGUAY:
GK 1 Pedro Benítez
FW 2 Aurelio González
FW 3 Delfín Benítez Cáceres
MF 4 Eusebio Díaz
FW 5 Gerardo Romero
FW 6 Lino Nessi
FW 7 Luis Vargas Peña (c)
DF 8 Quiterio Olmedo
DF 9 Salvador Flores
MF 10Santiago Benítez
MF 11Tranquilino Garcete
Manager:
José Durand Laguna

BELGIUM:
GK 1 Arnold Badjou
MF 2 August Hellemans
FW 3 Ferdinand Adams
FW 4 Gérard Delbeke
DF 5 Henri De Deken
FW 6 Jacques Moeschal
FW 7 Jan Diddens
FW 8 Louis Versyp
DF 9 Nic Hoydonckx
MF 10Pierre Braine (c)
DF 11Theodore Nouwens
Manager:
Hector Goetinck
Linesmen:
José Macías (Argentina)
Domingo Lombardi (Uruguay)

1950 FIFA World Cup

See main article: article and 1950 FIFA World Cup. In their return to the World Cup, Paraguay faced Sweden and Italy in Group 3. Paraguay failed to advance to the next round after a 2–2 draw against Sweden and a 2–0 loss against Italy.

----

1958 FIFA World Cup

See main article: article and 1958 FIFA World Cup. For the 1958 World Cup, Paraguay surprisingly qualified ahead of Uruguay (beating them 5–0 in the decisive game) with a team that contained a formidable attacking lineup with stars such as Juan Bautista Agüero, José Parodi, Juan Romero, Cayetano Ré and Florencio Amarilla. In their first game in Sweden, Paraguay were 3–2 up against France in a game they lost 7–3. A 3–2 win over Scotland and a 3–3 draw with Yugoslavia saw Paraguay finish third in their group.--------

1986 FIFA World Cup

See main article: article and 1986 FIFA World Cup. Paraguay ended a 28-year absence from the World Cup in 1986 with a team starring Roberto Fernández in goal; Cesar Zabala, Rogelio Delgado and Juan Bautista Torales in defense; Jorge Amado Nunes and Vladimiro Schettina in midfield; midfield playmaker Julio César Romero and strikers Roberto Cabañas, Ramón Hicks and Rolando Chilavert (older brother of José Luis Chilavert). In first round matches, Paraguay defeated Iraq (1–0, goal Romerito) and then tied Mexico (1–1, goal Romerito) and Belgium (2–2, both goals Roberto Cabañas). They reached the second round where they were beaten 3–0 by England.[1]


PARAGUAY:
GK 1 Roberto Fernández
DF 2 Juan Torales
DF 3 César Zabala
DF 4
DF 5 Rogelio Delgado (c)
MF 6 Jorge Amado Nunes
MF 10 Adolfino Cañete
MF 8 Julio César Romero
FW 7 Buenaventura Ferreira
FW 11
FW 9 Roberto Cabañas
Substitutions:
MF 16
Manager:
Cayetano Ré

IRAQ:
width=25!width=25
GK 1 Raad Hammoudi Salman (c)
DF 3 Khalil Mohammed Allawi
DF 4 Nadhim Shaker Salim
DF 5
DF 15 Natiq Hashim Abidoun
DF 22 Ghanim Oraibi Jassim
MF 6 Ali Hussein Shihab
MF 7
MF 14
FW 10 Hussein Saeed Mohammed
FW 8 Ahmad Radhi Amaiesh
Substitutions:
FW 11
MF 19
Manager:
Evaristo de Macedo

MEXICO:
GK 1 Pablo Larios
DF 2
DF 3 Fernando Quirarte
DF 14 Félix Cruz
DF 17 Raúl Servín
MF 16 Carlos Muñoz
MF 10 Tomás Boy (c)
MF 13 Javier Aguirre
FW 22
FW 15
FW 9
Substitutions:
MF 7
FW 5
Manager:
Bora Milutinović

PARAGUAY:
width=25!width=25
GK 1 Roberto Fernández
DF 2
DF 3 César Zabala
DF 4
DF 5 Rogelio Delgado (c)
MF 6 Jorge Amado Nunes
MF 10 Adolfino Cañete
MF 8 Julio César Romero
FW 7 Buenaventura Ferreira
FW 11
FW 9 Roberto Cabañas
Substitutions:
MF 16
FW 20
Manager:
Cayetano Ré

PARAGUAY:
GK 1 Roberto Fernández
DF 2 Juan Torales
DF 3 César Zabala
DF 5 Rogelio Delgado (c)
MF 16 Jorge Guasch
MF 6 Jorge Amado Nunes
MF 10 Adolfino Cañete
MF 8
FW 7 Buenaventura Ferreira
FW 11
FW 9 Roberto Cabañas
Substitutions:
FW 20
Manager:
Cayetano Ré

BELGIUM:
width=25!width=25
GK 1 Jean-Marie Pfaff
DF 5 Michel Renquin
DF 19 Hugo Broos
DF 13
MF 21 Stéphane Demol
MF 6 Franky Vercauteren
MF 22 Patrick Vervoort
MF 8 Enzo Scifo
MF 11 Jan Ceulemans (c)
FW 16 Nico Claesen
FW 18 Daniel Veyt
Substitutions:
DF 3
Manager:
Guy Thys

ENGLAND:
GK 1 Peter Shilton (c)
DF 2 Gary M. Stevens
DF 3 Kenny Sansom
DF 5
DF 6 Terry Butcher
MF 16
MF 4 Glenn Hoddle
MF 17 Trevor Steven
MF 18
FW 20
FW 10 Gary Lineker
Substitutions:
DF 15
FW 9
Manager:
Bobby Robson

PARAGUAY:
width=25!width=25
GK 1 Roberto Fernández
DF 2
DF 3 César Zabala
DF 4 Vladimiro Schettina
DF 5 Rogelio Delgado (c)
MF 6
MF 10 Adolfino Cañete
MF 8 Julio César Romero
FW 7 Buenaventura Ferreira
FW 11 Alfredo Mendoza
FW 9 Roberto Cabañas
Substitutions:
MF 16
Manager:
Cayetano Ré

1998 FIFA World Cup

See main article: article and 1998 FIFA World Cup. A new generation of players helped end the World Cup drought in grand fashion, as the Albirroja reached the 1998 World Cup in France by qualifying in second place in South America, behind Argentina. The first round matches were against Bulgaria (0–0), Spain (0–0), and Nigeria (3–1; goals Celso Ayala, Miguel Ángel Benítez and José Cardozo). Paraguay qualified to the second round (round of 16) to be defeated in a thrilling match against hosts and eventual World Champions France. France only scored through Laurent Blanc in the 114th minute, during the second half of overtime (making it the first golden goal scored in a World Cup). Paraguay's central defending duo (Carlos Gamarra and Celso Ayala) and goalkeeper José Luis Chilavert were selected for the all-star World Cup team.

GK 1 José Luis Chilavert (c)
DF 4 Carlos Gamarra
DF 5 Celso Ayala
FW 9
MF 10Roberto Acuña
DF 11Pedro Sarabia
MF 13Carlos Paredes
FW 15
MF 16Julio Cesar Enciso
MF 19
MF 21
Substitutions:
DF 20
FW 18
MF 7
Manager:
Paulo César Carpegiani
GK 1 Zdravko Zdravkov
DF 2 Radostin Kishishev
DF 3 Trifon Ivanov (c)
DF 4 Ivaylo Petkov
MF 5 Ivaylo Yordanov
MF 6 Zlatko Yankov
FW 8
FW 9
MF 10Krassimir Balakov
MF 11
MF 16
Substitutions:
FW 7
MF 18
Manager:
Hristo Bonev
Assistant referees


Achmat Salie (South Africa)
Hussain Ghadanfari (Kuwait)
Fourth official


Nikolai Levnikov (Russia)

GK 1 Andoni Zubizarreta (c)
RB 15Juan Carlos Aguilera
CB 5
CB 4 Rafael Alkorta
LB 12
RM 17Joseba Etxeberria
CM 6 Fernando Hierro
CM 18Guillermo Amor
LM 21Luis Enrique
CF 9
CF 10
Substitutions:
FW 7
MF 16
FW 19
Manager:
Javier Clemente
GK 1 José Luis Chilavert (c)
DF 2
DF 4 Carlos Gamarra
DF 5
FW 8
MF 10Roberto Acuña
DF 11Pedro Sarabia
FW 15Miguel Benítez
MF 16
DF 20Denis Caniza
MF 21
Substitutions:
MF 13
MF 7
FW 18
Manager:
Paulo César Carpegiani
Assistant referees


Aristidis Chris Soldatos (South Africa)
Owen Powell (Jamaica)
Fourth official


Esse Baharmast (United States)

GK 1 Peter Rufai (c)
FW 4 Nwankwo Kanu
DF 6 Taribo West
FW 9 Rasheed Yekini
MF 11Garba Lawal
MF 13Tijani Babangida
MF 15
DF 16Uche Okafor
DF 17
MF 18
DF 19
Substitutions:
DF 21
MF 7
Manager:
Bora Milutinović
GK 1 José Luis Chilavert (c)
DF 2 Francisco Arce
DF 4 Carlos Gamarra
DF 5 Celso Ayala
FW 9 José Cardozo
DF 11Pedro Sarabia
MF 13Carlos Paredes
FW 15
MF 16Julio César Enciso
FW 17
DF 20
Substitutions:
MF 7
MF 10
FW 8
Manager:
Paulo César Carpegiani
Assistant referees


Mohamed Al Musawi (Oman)
Mikael Milsson (Sweden)
Fourth official


Masayoshi Okada (Japan)

GK 16Fabien Barthez
RB 15Lilian Thuram
CB 5 Laurent Blanc
CB 8 Marcel Desailly
LB 3 Bixente Lizarazu
CM 7 Didier Deschamps (c)
CM 17
RW 13
LW 6 Youri Djorkaeff
CF 20David Trezeguet
CF 12
Substitutes:
MF 11
MF 14
FW 9
Manager:
Aimé Jacquet
GK 1 José Luis Chilavert (c)
RB 2
CB 4 Carlos Gamarra
CB 5 Celso Ayala
LB 11Pedro Sarabia
CM 10Roberto Acuña
CM 16
CM 13
AM 21
AM 15
CF 9
Substitutes:
MF 7
DF 20
MF 8
Manager:
Paulo César Carpegiani
Assistant referees


Nimal Wickeramatunge (Sri Lanka)
Lencie Fred (Vanuatu)
Fourth official


Esse Baharmast (United States)

2002 FIFA World Cup

See main article: article and 2002 FIFA World Cup. Paraguay returned to the world's greatest stage once more in the 2002 World Cup. In their first match, Paraguay tied South Africa 2–2 (goals: Roque Santa Cruz and Francisco Arce). Paraguay lost to Spain in the second game (1–3) and finally defeated Slovenia (3–1; goals Nelson Cuevas, twice, and Jorge Luis Campos) to qualify for the second round. Germany ended Paraguay's dreams in the World Cup with an 88-minute goal.All times local (UTC+9)

GK 22
CB 18
CB 5 Celso Ayala
CB 4 Carlos Gamarra (c)
RWB2 Francisco Arce
LWB21
CM 10Roberto Miguel Acuña
CM 6
CM 8
AM 11
CF 9 Roque Santa Cruz
Substitutions:
MF 14
MF 16
DF 17
Manager:
Cesare Maldini
GK 16Andre Arendse
RB 4
CB 13
CB 19Lucas Radebe (c)
LB 3 Bradley Carnell
RM 2 Cyril Nzama
CM 12Teboho Mokoena
CM 6 MacBeth Sibaya
LM 7 Quinton Fortune
CF 17
CF 15
Substitutions:
MF 9
FW 23
Manager:
Jomo Sono
Man of the Match:
Francisco Arce (Paraguay)

Assistant referees:
Igor Šramka (Slovakia)
Curtis Charles (Antigua and Barbuda)
Fourth official:
Hugh Dallas (Scotland)

GK 1 Iker Casillas
RB 5 Carles Puyol
CB 6 Fernando Hierro (c)
CB 20Miguel Ángel Nadal
LB 3 Juanfran
RM 21
CM 8
CM 17
LM 11Javier de Pedro
CF 7 Raúl
CF 10
Substitutions:
MF 4
FW 9
MF 19
Manager:
José Antonio Camacho
GK 1 José Luis Chilavert (c)
CB 18Julio César Cáceres
CB 5 Celso Ayala
CB 4 Carlos Gamarra
RWB 2
LWB 21
CM 14
CM 10Roberto Acuña
CM 13Carlos Paredes
CF 9
CF 20
Substitutions:
FW 11
MF 6
Manager:
Cesare Maldini
Man of the Match:
Fernando Morientes (Spain)

Assistant referees:
Wagih Farag (Egypt)
Brighton Mudzamiri (Zimbabwe)
Fourth official:
Mohamed Guezzaz (Morocco)

GK 12 Mladen Dabanovič
CB 22Spasoje Bulajič
CB 3
CB 15Rajko Tavčar
RM 7 Đoni Novak
CM 8 Aleš Čeh (c)
CM 11
LM 19
AM 18
CF 21Sebastjan Cimirotič
CF 9
Substitutions:
FW 13
MF 20
FW 16
Manager:
Danilo Popivoda
GK 1 José Luis Chilavert (c)
CB 18Julio César Cáceres
CB 5 Celso Ayala
CB 4 Carlos Gamarra
RWB 2 Francisco Arce
LWB 21Denis Caniza
CM 13
CM 10Roberto Acuña
CM 8
CF 20
CF 9 Roque Santa Cruz
Substitutions:
MF 11
FW 23
MF 17
Manager:
Cesare Maldini
Man of the Match:
Nelson Cuevas (Paraguay)

Assistant referees:
Leif Lindberg (Sweden)
Visva Krishnan (Singapore)
Fourth official:
Kim Young-joo (South Korea)

GK 1 Oliver Kahn (c)
RB 22Torsten Frings
CB 3
CB 2 Thomas Linke
LB 21
RM 19
CM 16Jens Jeremies
CM 13
LM 17Marco Bode
CF 7
CF 11Miroslav Klose
Substitutions:
MF 15
DF 4
FW 14
Manager:
Rudi Völler
GK 1 José Luis Chilavert (c)
RB 2 Francisco Arce
CB 18Julio César Cáceres
CB 5 Celso Ayala
CB 4 Carlos Gamarra
LB 21Denis Caniza
CM 15
CM 10
CM 6
CF 20
CF 9
Substitutions:
FW 11
MF 14
FW 23
Manager:
Cesare Maldini
Man of the Match:
Jens Jeremies (Germany)

Assistant referees


Curtis Charles (Antigua and Barbuda)
Dramane Dante (Mali)
Fourth official


Hugh Dallas (Scotland)

2006 FIFA World Cup

See main article: article and 2006 FIFA World Cup. In 2006, Paraguay qualified for its third World Cup in a row. This time, two early defeats against England and Sweden (both 0–1) sent the team home early. The only consolation was defeating Trinidad and Tobago during the last and final group game by 2–0.All times local (CEST/UTC+2)

GK 1 Paul Robinson
RB 2 Gary Neville
CB 5 Rio Ferdinand
CB 6 John Terry
LB 3 Ashley Cole
DM 4
RM 7 David Beckham (c)
LM 11
AM 8 Frank Lampard
CF 10
CF 21
Substitutions:
MF 20
MF 16
Manager:
Sven-Göran Eriksson
GK 1
RB 21Denis Caniza
CB 5 Julio César Cáceres
CB 4 Carlos Gamarra (c)
LB 3
RM 6
CM 13Carlos Humberto Paredes
CM 10Roberto Miguel Acuña
LM 16Cristian Riveros
CF 9 Roque Santa Cruz
CF 18
Substitutions:
GK 22
FW 23
DF 2
Manager:
Aníbal Ruiz
Man of the Match:
Frank Lampard (England)

Assistant referees:
José Luis Camargo (Mexico)
Leonel Leal (Costa Rica)
Fourth official:
Coffi Codjia (Benin)
Fifth official:
Celestin Ntagungira (Rwanda)

GK 1 Andreas Isaksson
RB 7 Niclas Alexandersson
CB 3 Olof Mellberg (c)
CB 4
LB 5 Erik Edman
DM 6
RM 21
LM 9 Freddie Ljungberg
AM 16
CF 10
CF 11Henrik Larsson
Substitutions:
FW 20
FW 18
FW 17
Manager:
Lars Lagerbäck
GK 22Aldo Bobadilla
RB 2
CB 5 Julio César Cáceres
CB 4 Carlos Gamarra (c)
LB 21
RM 6
CM 10
CM 13
LM 16
SS 9
CF 18Nelson Valdez
Substitutions:
MF 19
FW 20
MF 8
Manager:
Aníbal Ruiz
Man of the Match:
Freddie Ljungberg (Sweden)

Assistant referees:
Roman Slysko (Slovakia)
Martin Balko (Slovakia)
Fourth official:
Jerome Damon (South Africa)
Fifth official:
Enock Molefe (South Africa)

GK 22Aldo Bobadilla
RB 21
CB 5
CB 4 Carlos Gamarra (c)
LB 2 Jorge Núñez
DM 10Roberto Miguel Acuña
RM 19
LM 8 Edgar Barreto
AM 13
CF 9 Roque Santa Cruz
CF 18
Substitutions:
FW 23
DF 15
DF 14
Manager:
Aníbal Ruiz
GK 21Kelvin Jack
RB 11 Carlos Edwards
CB 5
CB 6 Dennis Lawrence
LB 3
RM 7 Chris Birchall
CM 19Dwight Yorke (c)
CM 9
LM 18Densill Theobald
CF 14Stern John
CF 13
Substitutions:
DF 15
MF 16
MF 10
Manager:
Leo Beenhakker
Man of the Match:
Julio dos Santos (Paraguay)

Assistant referees:
Cristiano Copelli (Italy)
Alessandro Stagnelli (Italy)
Fourth official:
Frank De Bleeckere (Belgium)
Fifth official:
Peter Hermans (Belgium)

2010 FIFA World Cup

See main article: article and 2010 FIFA World Cup. In their fourth consecutive World Cup appearance, Paraguay eventually reached the quarter-finals. Drawn into Group F along with defending champions Italy, Slovakia and New Zealand, they opened their tournament with a draw against the Italians, in a game where they took the lead thanks to a first-half goal from Antolín Alcaraz but ultimately finished 1-1. In their second match, they beat Slovakia 2–0 with goals from Enrique Vera and Christian Riveros. Their final group match saw a goalless draw with New Zealand, clinching first place in Group F and setting up a date with Japan. Another goalless draw with the Japanese after 120 minutes went to penalties, which Paraguay won 5–3, advancing them for the first time in their history to the World Cup round of eight. In the quarter-finals, they met powerhouses Spain, to whom they lost 1–0 in a game where a goal by Nelson Valdez was controversially called an offside by the referee. The game also featured each team being awarded a penalty, both of which were contained, first by Spain's Iker Casillas and then Paraguay's Justo Villar (both were also team captains for the game).

The Albirroja arrived back from South Africa on Monday, July 5 at 3:30 AM. Upon arrival, they were greeted by over 3,000 fans at the airport and were decorated by the President of Paraguay. Gerardo Martino announced that he would take some time to decide his future, although the Paraguayan Football Association has offered him a four-year contract to continue at the helm. Roque Santa Cruz also announced that this would be his last World Cup, but that he may play one more tournament, the Copa América in Argentina in 2011, which he ended up playing in.All times local (UTC+02)

GK 1
RB 19Gianluca Zambrotta
CB 5 Fabio Cannavaro (c)
CB 4 Giorgio Chiellini
LB 3 Domenico Criscito
CM 6 Daniele De Rossi
CM 22Riccardo Montolivo
AM 15
RW 7 Simone Pepe
LW 9 Vincenzo Iaquinta
CF 11
Substitutions:
GK 12
MF 16
FW 10
Manager:
Marcello Lippi
width=25!width=25
GK 1 Justo Villar (c)
RB 6 Carlos Bonet
CB 21Antolín Alcaraz
CB 14Paulo da Silva
LB 3 Claudio Morel
DM 15
RM 13Enrique Vera
CM 16Cristian Riveros
LM 17
SS 18
CF 19
Substitutions:
MF 11
FW 9
FW 7
Manager:
Gerardo Martino
Man of the Match:
Antolín Alcaraz (Paraguay)

Assistant referees


Héctor Vergara (Canada)
Marvin Torrentera (Mexico)
Fourth official


Joel Aguilar (El Salvador)
Fifth official


Juan Zumba (El Salvador)

GK 1 Ján Mucha
RB 2 Peter Pekarík
CB 3 Martin Škrtel
CB 21
LB 16
DM 6 Zdeno Štrba
CM 17Marek Hamšík (c)
RW 9
LW 7
SS 8 Ján Kozák
CF 11Róbert Vittek
Substitutions:
FW 13
MF 15
Manager:
Vladimír Weiss
width=25!width=25
GK 1 Justo Villar (c)
RB 6 Carlos Bonet
CB 14Paulo da Silva
CB 21Antolín Alcaraz
LB 3 Claudio Morel
DM 15Víctor Cáceres
CM 13
CM 16Cristian Riveros
AM 18
SS 9 Roque Santa Cruz
CF 19
Substitutions:
DF 17
FW 7
MF 8
Manager:
Gerardo Martino
Man of the Match:
Enrique Vera (Paraguay)

Assistant referees


Evarist Menkouande (Cameroon)
Bechir Hassani (Tunisia)
Fourth official


Joel Aguilar (El Salvador)
Fifth official


Juan Zumba (El Salvador)

GK 1 Justo Villar
RB 4 Denis Caniza (c)
CB 5 Julio Cáceres
CB 14Paulo da Silva
LB 3 Claudio Morel
DM 15
CM 16Cristian Riveros
CM 13Enrique Vera
AM 9
AM 18
CF 7
Substitutions:
FW 19
FW 10
Manager:
Gerardo Martino
width=25!width=25
GK 1 Mark Paston
RB 4 Winston Reid
CB 6 Ryan Nelsen (c)
LB 19Tommy Smith
CM 7 Simon Elliott
CM 5 Ivan Vicelich
RM 11Leo Bertos
LM 3 Tony Lochhead
AM 10
AM 9 Shane Smeltz
CF 14
Substitutions:
FW 20
MF 22
Manager:
Ricki Herbert
Man of the Match:
Roque Santa Cruz (Paraguay)

Assistant referees


Toru Sagara (Japan)
Jeong Hae-sang (South Korea)
Fourth official


Koman Coulibaly (Mali)
Fifth official


Inacio Manuel Candido (Angola)Paraguay and Japan met at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria on 29 June 2010. The match was decided by a penalty shootout after the score was locked at 0–0 for 120 minutes. Paraguay won the shootout and progressed to its first ever World Cup quarter-final.[2] The match was a generally unexciting affair, as Japan adopted a defensive posture while Paraguay itself maintained a solid defence. The first half produced the occasional chance on goal with Lucas Barrios having a shot saved shortly before a long-distance shot from Daisuke Matsui hit the crossbar of Paraguay's goal. The second half was similar, with either side producing occasional chances to score rather than periods of dominance. The result of the deadlock was extra time, which continued goalless. A penalty shootout ensued, in which Yūichi Komano missed a spot kick for Japan. Paraguay scored all five of its penalties, clinching the win and passage to the quarter-finals.[3] After the match, Japan head coach Takeshi Okada resigned and Shunsuke Nakamura retired from international football.[4]

GK 1 Justo Villar (c)
RB 6 Carlos Bonet
CB 14Paulo da Silva
CB 21Antolín Alcaraz
LB 3 Claudio Morel
DM 20
CM 13Enrique Vera
CM 16
RW 9
LW 10
CF 19Lucas Barrios
Substitutions:
FW 18
MF 8
FW 7
Manager:
Gerardo Martino
width=25!width=25
GK 21Eiji Kawashima
RB 3 Yūichi Komano
CB 22Yuji Nakazawa
CB 4 Marcus Tulio Tanaka
LB 5
DM 2
CM 17Makoto Hasebe (c)
CM 7
RW 8
LW 16
CF 18
Substitutions:
FW 9
MF 14
FW 11
Manager:
Takeshi Okada
Man of the Match:
Keisuke Honda (Japan)

Assistant referees


Peter Hermans (Belgium)
Walter Vromans (Belgium)
Fourth official


Peter O'Leary (New Zealand)
Fifth official


Matthew Taro (Solomon Islands)

On 3 July 2010, Spain defeated Paraguay 1–0 to secure entry to the semi-finals where they would meet Germany. It was the first time that Spain had progressed to the semi-final of a World Cup since 1950; while for the defeated Paraguay, the quarter-final appearance was also the country's best ever performance.[5]

The first half of the match finished goalless, although both sides had chances to score and Paraguay's Nelson Valdez had a goal ruled out as offside. The match suddenly became eventful in the second half due to a string of penalty kicks. First, Óscar Cardozo was pulled down by Gerard Piqué in Spain's penalty area and Paraguay was awarded a penalty. Cardozo took the penalty himself but it was saved by Spain's goalkeeper Iker Casillas. Spain soon after launched an attack at the other end of the field, in which David Villa was ruled by the referee to have been brought down by Antolín Alcaraz. Xabi Alonso stepped up to take the penalty kick and seemed to have scored, only for the referee to order it be retaken because of encroachment by a Spanish player into the penalty area before the kick was taken. Xabi Alonso's retake was saved by Paraguayan goalkeeper Justo Villar. As a result, the score remained 0–0 after the three penalty kicks. Spain, however, ultimately managed to take the lead in the 82nd minute: David Villa collected a rebounded shot off the post from Pedro, to score himself off the post. The goal turned out to be the winner for Spain.[5] After the match, Spain coach Vicente del Bosque conceded that his side were not playing at their best and were starved of possession. He also noted his view that Spain's next opponents Germany were the best team at the World Cup.[6] Paraguay coach Gerardo Martino stated he would be leaving his position at the end of his contract.[7]

GK 1 Justo Villar (c)
RB 2 Darío Verón
CB 14Paulo da Silva
CB 21
LB 3
DM 15
RM 11
CM 8
LM 16Cristian Riveros
SS 18
CF 7 Óscar Cardozo
Substitutions:
MF 13
FW 9
FW 19
Manager:
Gerardo Martino
width=25!width=25
GK 1 Iker Casillas (c)
RB 15Sergio Ramos
CB 3
CB 5
LB 11Joan Capdevila
DM 16
RM 6 Andrés Iniesta
CM 8 Xavi
LM 14
SS 7 David Villa
CF 9
Substitutions:
MF 10
FW 18
DF 4
Manager:
Vicente del Bosque
Man of the Match:
Andrés Iniesta (Spain)

Assistant referees


Leonel Leal (Costa Rica)
Carlos Pastrana (Honduras)
Fourth official


Benito Archundia (Mexico)
Fifth official


Héctor Vergara (Canada)

Record players

RankPlayerMatchesWorld Cups
1Denis Caniza121998, 2002, 2006 and 2010
Roque Santa Cruz122002, 2006 and 2010
3Roberto Acuña111998, 2002 and 2006
Carlos Gamarra111998, 2002 and 2006
5Carlos Paredes91998, 2002 and 2006
6Celso Ayala81998 and 2002
Julio César Cáceres82002, 2006 and 2010
Nelson Valdez82006 and 2010
9Francisco Arce71998 and 2002
Jorge Campos71998 and 2002
José Luis Chilavert71998 and 2002
Cristian Riveros72006 and 2010

World Cup goalscorers

World CupPlayerGoals
2002, 2006Nelson Cuevas3
1986Roberto Cabañas2
1986Romerito2
1958Florencio Amarilla2
1958Jorge Romero2
1958José Parodi2
1958Juan Bautista Agüero2
2010Cristian Riveros1
2010Enrique Vera1
2010Antolín Alcaraz1
2002Jorge Luis Campos1
2002Francisco Arce1
2002Roque Santa Cruz1
1998José Cardozo1
1998Miguel Ángel Benítez1
1998Celso Ayala1
1958Cayetano Ré1
1950César López Fretes1
1950Atilio López1
1930Luis Vargas Peña1

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: .:: Albirroja.com - el Sitio de la Aficion :: . 2007-10-30 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20040818102757/http://www.albirroja.com/history/history6.html . 2004-08-18 . es.
  2. News: Justice done for Paraguay as Japan pay the penalty. Lynch. Michael. 30 June 2010. Sydney Morning Herald. 9 July 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100703105802/http://www.smh.com.au/world-cup-2010/world-cup-news/justice-done-for-paraguay-as-japan-pay-the-penalty-20100630-zjo7.html?autostart=1. 3 July 2010 . live.
  3. News: Paraguay 0–0 Japan (5–3 pens). Fletcher. Paul. 29 June 2010. BBC Sport. 9 July 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100708090911/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/world_cup_2010/matches/match_55/default.stm. 8 July 2010 . live.
  4. News: Okada stands down as Japan coach. 2 July 2010. Sport.co.uk. 16 October 2017.
  5. News: Paraguay 0–1 Spain. Fletcher. Paul. 3 July 2010. BBC Sport. 5 July 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100705175741/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/world_cup_2010/matches/match_60/default.stm. 5 July 2010 . live.
  6. News: Spain must improve, admits coach. 3 July 2010. BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 5 July 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100704190250/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/world_cup_2010/8786181.stm. 4 July 2010 . live.
  7. News: Martino quits Paraguay. Razwan Mirza. 5 July 2010. Sky Sports. 5 July 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100707070129/http://www.skysports.com/football/world-cup-2010/story/0,27032,12098_6246020,00.html. 7 July 2010 . live.