Paraguay at the FIFA World Cup

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

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
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA
Uruguay 1930 Group stage 9th 2 1 0 1 1 3
Italy 1934 Did not enter
France 1938
Brazil 1950 Group stage 11th 2 0 1 1 2 4
Switzerland 1954 Did not qualify
Sweden 1958 Group stage 12th 3 1 1 1 9 12
Chile 1962 Did not qualify
England 1966
Mexico 1970
West Germany 1974
Argentina 1978
Spain 1982
Mexico 1986 Round of 16 13th 4 1 2 1 4 6
Italy 1990 Did not qualify
United States 1994
France 1998 Round of 16 14th 4 1 2 1 3 2
South Korea Japan 2002 16th 4 1 1 2 6 7
Germany 2006 Group stage 18th 3 1 0 2 2 2
South Africa 2010 Quarter-finals 8th 5 1 3 1 3 2
Brazil 2014 Did not qualify
Russia 2018
Qatar 2022
Canada Mexico United States 2026 To be determined
Morocco Portugal Spain 2030 Qualified as centenary co-host
Saudi Arabia 2034 To be determined
Total Quarter-finals 9/25 27 7 10 10 30 38
*Denotes draws including knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out.

By match

World Cup Round Opponent Score Result Venue Scorers
1930 Group 4  United States 0–3 L Montevideo
 Belgium 1–0 W Montevideo L. Peña
1950 Group 3  Sweden 2–2 D Curitiba A. López, C. López Fretes
 Italy 0–2 L São Paulo
1958 Group 2  France 3–7 L Norrköping
J. Romero
 Scotland 3–2 W Norrköping J. Agüero, C. Ré, J. Parodi
 Yugoslavia 3–3 D Eskilstuna
J. Romero
1986 Group B  Iraq 1–0 W Toluca
Romerito
 Mexico 1–1 D Mexico City
Romerito
 Belgium 2–2 D Toluca R. Cabañas (2)
Round of 16  England 0–3 L Mexico City
1998 Group D  Bulgaria 0–0 D Montpellier
 Spain 0–0 D Saint-Étienne
 Nigeria 3–1 W Toulouse C. Ayala, M. Benítez, J. Cardozo
Round of 16  France
a.e.t.
)
L Lens
2002 Group B  South Africa 2–2 D Busan R. Santa Cruz, F. Arce
 Spain 1–3 L Jeonju C. Puyol (o.g.)
 Slovenia 3–1 W Seogwipo
J. Campos
Round of 16  Germany 0–1 L Seogwipo
2006 Group B  England 0–1 L Frankfurt
 Sweden 0–1 L Berlin
 Trinidad and Tobago 2–0 W Kaiserslautern B. Sancho (o.g.), N. Cuevas
2010 Group F  Italy 1–1 D Cape Town A. Alcaraz
 Slovakia 2–0 W Bloemfontein E. Vera, C. Riveros
 New Zealand 0–0 D Polokwane
Round of 16  Japan
a.e.t.)
(5–3 pen.
)
D Pretoria
Quarter-finals  Spain 0–1 L Johannesburg

Record by opponent

FIFA World Cup matches (by team)
Opponent Wins Draws Losses Total Goals Scored Goals Conceded
 Belgium 1 1 0 2 3 2
 Bulgaria 0 1 0 1 0 0
 England 0 0 2 2 0 4
 France 0 0 2 2 3 8
 Germany 0 0 1 1 0 1
 Iraq 1 0 0 1 1 0
 Italy 0 1 1 2 1 3
 Japan 0 1 0 1 0 0
 Mexico 0 1 0 1 1 1
 New Zealand 0 1 0 1 0 0
 Nigeria 1 0 0 1 3 1
 Scotland 1 0 0 1 3 2
 Slovakia 1 0 0 1 2 0
 Slovenia 1 0 0 1 3 1
 South Africa 0 1 0 1 2 2
 Spain 0 1 2 3 1 4
 Sweden 0 1 1 2 2 3
 Trinidad and Tobago 1 0 0 1 2 0
 United States 0 0 1 1 0 3
 Yugoslavia 0 1 0 1 3 3

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

In the first round, Paraguay debuted and lost to the United States (0–3), to then defeat Belgium (1–0) with a goal by Luis Vargas Peña. Only one team was to advance from the group stage, and the U.S. left Paraguay behind.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  United States 2 2 0 0 6 0 +6 4 Advance to the knockout stage
2  Paraguay 2 1 0 1 1 3 −2 2
3  Belgium 2 0 0 2 0 4 −4 0
Source: ESPN
United States 3–0 Belgium
McGhee 23'
Florie 45'
Patenaude 69'
Report
Attendance: 18,346
United States 3–0 Paraguay
Patenaude 10', 15', 50' Report
Attendance: 18,306
Paraguay 1–0 Belgium
Vargas Peña 40' Report
Estadio Centenario, Montevideo
Attendance: 12,000
United States 3–0 Paraguay
Patenaude 10', 15', 50'[1] Report
Attendance: 800
Paraguay 1–0 Belgium
Vargas Peña 40'[2] Report
Estadio Centenario, Montevideo
Attendance: 900

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.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Sweden 2 1 1 0 5 4 +1 3 Advance to final round
2  Italy 2 1 0 1 4 3 +1 2
3  Paraguay 2 0 1 1 2 4 −2 1
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
Sweden 2 – 2 Paraguay
Sundqvist 17'
Palmér 26'
Report López 35'
López Fretes 74'

Italy 2 – 0 Paraguay
Carapellese 12'
Pandolfini 62'
Report
Estádio do Pacaembu, São Paulo
Attendance: 26,000
)

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.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GR Pts Qualification
1  France 3 2 0 1 11 7 1.571 4 Advance to knockout stage
2  Yugoslavia 3 1 2 0 7 6 1.167 4
3  Paraguay 3 1 1 1 9 12 0.750 3
4  Scotland 3 0 1 2 4 6 0.667 1
Source: FIFA
France 7–3 Paraguay
Vincent
83'
Report
Romero
50'
Idrottsparken, Norrköping
Attendance: 16,500
Referee: Gardeazabal (Spain
)

Paraguay 3–2 Scotland
Agüero 4'
45'
Parodi
73'
Report Mudie 24'
Collins 74'
Idrottsparken, Norrköping
Attendance: 12,000
Referee: Orlandini (Italy
)

Paraguay 3–3 Yugoslavia
Romero
80'
Report Ognjanović 18'
Veselinović 21'
Rajkov 73'
Attendance: 12,000
Referee: Macko (Czechoslovakia)

1986 FIFA World Cup

Paraguay ended a 28-year absence from the World Cup in 1986 with a team starring

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.[3]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Mexico (H) 3 2 1 0 4 2 +2 5 Advance to knockout stage
2  Paraguay 3 1 2 0 4 3 +1 4
3  Belgium 3 1 1 1 5 5 0 3
4  Iraq 3 0 0 3 1 4 −3 0
Source: FIFA
(H) Hosts
Paraguay 1–0 Iraq
Romero
35'
Report
Mexico 1–1 Paraguay
Flores 3' Report
Romero
85'
Attendance: 114,600
Paraguay 2–2 Belgium
Cabañas 50', 76' Report Vercauteren 30'
Veyt 59'
Bogdan Dotchev (Bulgaria
)

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.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Nigeria 3 2 0 1 5 5 0 6 Advance to knockout stage
2  Paraguay 3 1 2 0 3 1 +2 5
3  Spain 3 1 1 1 8 4 +4 4
4  Bulgaria 3 0 1 2 1 7 −6 1
Source: FIFA
Paraguay 0–0 Bulgaria
Report
Saudi Arabia
)
Spain 0–0 Paraguay
Report

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

Esse Baharmast (United States
)

Assistant referees:
Mohamed Al Musawi (Oman)
Mikael Milsson (Sweden)
Fourth official:
Masayoshi Okada (Japan)

a.e.t.)
 Paraguay
Blanc gold-colored soccer ball 113' Report
Stade Félix-Bollaert, Lens
Attendance: 38,100
)

Assistant referees:
Nimal Wickeramatunge (Sri Lanka)
Lencie Fred (Vanuatu)

Fourth official
:
Esse Baharmast (United States
)

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

Jorge Luis Campos) to qualify for the second round. Germany
ended Paraguay's dreams in the World Cup with an 88-minute goal.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Spain 3 3 0 0 9 4 +5 9 Advance to knockout stage
2  Paraguay 3 1 1 1 6 6 0 4
3  South Africa 3 1 1 1 5 5 0 4
4  Slovenia 3 0 0 3 2 7 −5 0
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Tie-breaking criteria

All times local (

UTC+9
)

Paraguay 2–2 South Africa
Santa Cruz 39'
Arce 55'
Report
Mokoena 63'
Fortune 90+1' (pen.
)
Busan Asian Main Stadium, Busan
Attendance: 25,186
)

Man of the Match:
Francisco Arce (Paraguay)

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

Spain 3–1 Paraguay
Morientes 53', 69'
Hierro 83' (pen.)
Report Puyol 10' (o.g.)

Man of the Match:
Fernando Morientes (Spain)

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

Slovenia 1–3 Paraguay
Ačimovič 45+1' Report
Campos
73'
Felipe Ramos (Mexico
)

Man of the Match:
Nelson Cuevas (Paraguay)

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

Germany 1–0 Paraguay
Neuville 88' Report
Carlos Alberto Batres (Guatemala
)

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.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  England 3 2 1 0 5 2 +3 7 Advance to knockout stage
2  Sweden 3 1 2 0 3 2 +1 5
3  Paraguay 3 1 0 2 2 2 0 3
4  Trinidad and Tobago 3 0 1 2 0 4 −4 1
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Tie-breaking criteria

All times local (CEST/UTC+2)

England 1–0 Paraguay
Gamarra 3' (o.g.) Report
FIFA WM Stadion Frankfurt, Frankfurt
Attendance: 48,000
)

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
)

Sweden 1–0 Paraguay
Ljungberg 89' Report
Olympiastadion, Berlin
Attendance: 72,000
)

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)

Paraguay 2–0 Trinidad and Tobago
Sancho 25' (o.g.)
Cuevas 86'
Report

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

In their fourth consecutive World Cup appearance, Paraguay eventually reached the quarter-finals. Drawn into

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.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Paraguay 3 1 2 0 3 1 +2 5 Advance to knockout stage
2  Slovakia 3 1 1 1 4 5 −1 4
3  New Zealand 3 0 3 0 2 2 0 3
4  Italy 3 0 2 1 4 5 −1 2
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Tie-breaking criteria

All times local (

UTC+02
)

Italy 1–1 Paraguay
De Rossi 63' Report Alcaraz 39'
Italy vs Paraguay
Slovakia 0–2 Paraguay
Report Vera 27'
Riveros 86'

Man of the Match:
Enrique Vera (Paraguay)

Assistant referees:
Evarist Menkouande (Cameroon)[4]
Bechir Hassani (Tunisia)[4]
Fourth official:
Joel Aguilar (El Salvador)[4]
Fifth official:
Juan Zumba (El Salvador)[4]

Paraguay 0–0 New Zealand
Report

Man of the Match:
Roque Santa Cruz (Paraguay)

Assistant referees:
Toru Sagara (Japan)[4]
Jeong Hae-sang (South Korea)[4]
Fourth official:
Koman Coulibaly (Mali)[4]
Fifth official:
Inacio Manuel Candido (Angola)[4]

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.[8] 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.[9] After the match, Japan head coach Takeshi Okada resigned and Shunsuke Nakamura retired from international football.[10]

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.[12]

The first half of the match finished goalless, although both sides had chances to score and Paraguay's

Pedro, to score himself off the post. The goal turned out to be the winner for Spain.[12] 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.[13] Paraguay coach Gerardo Martino stated he would be leaving his position at the end of his contract.[14]

Record players

Rank Player Matches World Cups
1 Denis Caniza 12 1998, 2002, 2006 and 2010
Roque Santa Cruz 12 2002, 2006 and 2010
3 Roberto Acuña 11 1998, 2002 and 2006
Carlos Gamarra 11 1998, 2002 and 2006
5
Carlos Paredes
9 1998, 2002 and 2006
6 Celso Ayala 8 1998 and 2002
Julio César Cáceres 8 2002, 2006 and 2010
Nelson Valdez 8 2006 and 2010
9 Francisco Arce 7 1998 and 2002
Jorge Campos
7 1998 and 2002
José Luis Chilavert 7 1998 and 2002
Cristian Riveros 7 2006 and 2010

World Cup goalscorers

World Cup Player Goals
2002, 2006 Nelson Cuevas 3
1986 Roberto Cabañas 2
1986 Romerito 2
1958 Florencio Amarilla 2
1958 Jorge Romero 2
1958 José Parodi 2
1958 Juan Bautista Agüero 2
2010 Cristian Riveros 1
2010 Enrique Vera 1
2010 Antolín Alcaraz 1
2002
Jorge Luis Campos
1
2002 Francisco Arce 1
2002 Roque Santa Cruz 1
1998 José Cardozo 1
1998 Miguel Ángel Benítez 1
1998 Celso Ayala 1
1958 Cayetano Ré 1
1950 César López Fretes 1
1950 Atilio López 1
1930 Luis Vargas Peña 1

See also

References

  1. ^ FIFA initially credited the goal in the 15th minute to Tom Florie, but changed it to Patenaude in 2006. During previous years, it was also listed as an own goal by Aurelio González (RSSSF).
  2. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation
    (RSSSF). Retrieved 15 August 2010.
  3. ^ ".:: Albirroja.com - el Sitio de la Aficion ::" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2004-08-18. Retrieved 2007-10-30.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa Match Appointments" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 24 June 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 July 2010. Retrieved 25 June 2010.
  5. ^ a b "Tactical Line-up – Group F – Italy-Paraguay" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 14 June 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 June 2010. Retrieved 14 June 2010.
  6. ^ a b "Tactical Line-up – Group F – Slovakia-Paraguay" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 20 June 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 July 2010. Retrieved 20 June 2010.
  7. ^ a b "Tactical Line-up – Group F – Paraguay-New Zealand" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 24 June 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 9, 2012. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
  8. Sydney Morning Herald. Archived
    from the original on 3 July 2010. Retrieved 9 July 2010.
  9. ^ Fletcher, Paul (29 June 2010). "Paraguay 0–0 Japan (5–3 pens)". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 8 July 2010. Retrieved 9 July 2010.
  10. ^ "Okada stands down as Japan coach". Sport.co.uk. 2 July 2010. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
  11. ^ a b "Tactical Line-up – Last 16 – Paraguay-Japan" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 29 June 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 July 2010. Retrieved 29 June 2010.
  12. ^ a b Fletcher, Paul (3 July 2010). "Paraguay 0–1 Spain". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 5 July 2010. Retrieved 5 July 2010.
  13. British Broadcasting Corporation. 3 July 2010. Archived
    from the original on 4 July 2010. Retrieved 5 July 2010.
  14. ^ Razwan Mirza (5 July 2010). "Martino quits Paraguay". Sky Sports. Archived from the original on 7 July 2010. Retrieved 5 July 2010.
  15. ^ a b "Tactical Line-up – Quarterfinal – Paraguay-Spain" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 3 July 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 9, 2012. Retrieved 3 July 2010.

External links