Santa Clara: Paraguay coach Gustavo Alfaro believes he has the ingredients to create history with his side and, in doing so, put the Socceroos’ World Cup campaign future in the balance. They will need patience, caution, a way to counter Australia’s height advantage … and some help from above.
“You know, we believe in divine justice, and I think at some point that needs to favour us,” Alfaro told reporters on the eve of the match.
Paraguay enter the match against Australia at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara needing a win to ensure they qualify for the knockout stages and leapfrog the Socceroos into second place in Group D. The United States have already secured first spot.
A draw for La Albirroja, after their upset 1-0 win against Turkey, would probably be enough for them to go through as a third-place qualifier. However, the team that finishes second will get a week off between matches and potentially an easier opponent in the round of 32.
Alfaro said reaching the next round was Paraguay’s only goal, but was well aware that a win against Australia would represent the first time the country had recorded back-to-back World Cup victories.
“It’s a final for us, he said. “There’s no tomorrow for us. … I tell my players, we need to live this match as if it were the last one we play,” he said.
Alfaro is one of the more outspoken managers at this World Cup. In recent days, he has raged about football’s business elites, accusing them of commercial intrusion on the World Cup and sidelining fans with exorbitant ticket prices.
He would not buy into questions about England’s Jude Bellingham avoiding a red card for covering his mouth during a match against Ghana, despite Paraguay midfielder Miguel Almiron being sent off against Turkey for doing the same thing.
But Alfaro did speak out against hydration breaks, which have been introduced at this World Cup, saying they should only be used in special occasions to prevent football becoming a game of quarters.
“These are more than hydration breaks. I know this applies to everybody, but I like continuity. Football is continuity and continuity is broken,” he said.
This is Paraguay’s ninth appearance at a World Cup, but their first in 16 years. Their best finish came at the 2010 tournament when they lost in the quarter-finals to eventual champions Spain.
Alfaro, an Argentine who spent time coaching in the US with MLS side Atlanta United, got them back to the World Cup with his pragmatic, defence-first approach. Paraguay conceded just 10 goals in 18 games in a difficult South American qualifying, with only Ecuador conceding fewer.
Much like the Socceroos, Paraguay like to play on the counterattack. They averaged only 37 per cent of possession during qualifying, hit more long passes than any other South American rival and averaged just 0.78 goals a game.
But the approach was effective as they defeated Brazil and world champions Argentina during the qualifying stages.
Paraguay have never beaten Australia in five starts, with the Socceroos recording two wins and there has been three draws.
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Nick Ralston is the deputy editor and investigations editor for The Sydney Morning Herald. He has previously spent time as news editor, justice editor and world editor.Connect via X or email.
