Paraguay: Their own generation of doubt breakers looking to lay more building blocks against Australia

In the spirit of everything beautiful about a World Cup campaign, and with acknowledgement of how we are feeling back home on Aussie soil, let’s take a moment to review and reflect exactly what matchday three’s fixture in the San Francisco Bay means to Australia’s final group opponents, Paraguay.

It has been Paraguay’s ninth overall World Cup finals appearance, and yet the first in sixteen years since they were last here having made the quarter finals at South Africa 2010, itself off the back of four consecutive appearances from 1998-2010.

Obviously having lived through a similar World Cup drought from 1978-2002, Australians know the tale and should know that whilst there is no golden generation on this era-defining run for Paraguay, they are bolstered by star talent and a coach desperate to learn from the past.

The team’s veteran Argentine manager Gustavo Alfaro speaking with FIFA TV raised a compelling point, with 2026 a chance to open the floodgates in making the nation a World Cup mainstay ahead of co-hosting rights in 2030, can a decent squad motivate itself to spark the legacy by first embracing the history of national team?

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“Our team being here, firstly this is a toast from cursed heroes. I have been certain about the potential of this team, so we wanted to capture the history and the past of Paraguay, and provide the historical Paraguyan DNA.”

“I would ask the team to define what a Paraguyan player is and what their traits are, they fight till they are exhausted, they never give up. I maintain that football is a contagious thing, this starts on the pitch and is spread to live in the stands”

Picking up that contagious spirit, it was perhaps unlucky that a certainly impressive USA team on home soil were to be Paraguay’s first opponent.

The occasion simply outperforming the squad and causing a notoriously tough backline to burst at the seams (should sound familiar to Australians after Seattle) down after just seven minutes, come half time, the Americans had three.

Their fighting spirit installed by Alfaro clearly came in handy though, with a Mauricio Prado strike on 73 minutes galvanising the team and providing the hopeful spark they would carry on from the 4-1 loss.

Things in game two could not have gone better with the strong mindset installed, an early goal in game two from the boot of Matias Galarza meant the side that conceded 10 from 18 matches in South American qualifying could be it’s stubborn and passionate best.

Whilst the side would hang on for the ultimate 1-0 win against Turkey, a strange truth emerged however, seemingly shellshocked in the second half, the ever reliable Miguel Almirón had been sent off in violation of FIFA’s new protocol for covering his mouth, and the team did show worrisome sounds outside of the gladiator-esque heroics from the backline.

With Julio Encisco seemingly not fully fit from his disastrous injury suffered pre tournament and while playing far from his best, the Almirón dismissal sets up an interesting dynamic with Australia.

For two sides noted for their defensive prowess, and having just exhibited their very best against Turkey, those on the ball will have the fighters chance of being the team capable of landing themselves in 2nd place of Group D.

Australia arguably in this sense has the talent over the Paraguyans, but with this in mind it’s worth reflecting on Alfaro’s comments to FIFA TV about La Albirroja spirit.

They will fight till they are exhausted, and they shall never give up!