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Paraguay national football team

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Paraguay
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)Los Guaraníes
La Albirroja (White and red)
Association[[[Paraguayan Football Association|Asociación Paraguaya de Fútbol]]] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help) (APF)
ConfederationCONMEBOL (South America)
Head coachVíctor Genes
CaptainJusto Villar
Most capsPaulo da Silva (116)
Top scorerRoque Santa Cruz (28)
Home stadiumEstadio Defensores del Chaco
FIFA codePAR
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current54 Increase +5
Highest8 (March 2001)
Lowest103 (May 1995)
First international
 Paraguay 1–5 Argentina 
(Asunción, Paraguay; 11 May 1919)
Biggest win
 Paraguay 7–0 Bolivia 
(Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; 30 April 1949)
 Hong Kong 0–7 Paraguay Paraguay
(Hong Kong; 17 November 2010)
Biggest defeat
 Argentina 8–0 Paraguay Paraguay
(Santiago, Chile; 20 October 1926)
World Cup
Appearances8 (first in 1930)
Best resultQuarter-finals; 2010
Copa América
Appearances33 (first in 1921)
Best resultWinners, 1953 and 1979
Medal record
Olympic medal record
Men's Football
Silver medal – second place 2004 Athens[1] Team

The Paraguay national football team is controlled by the Paraguayan Football Association (Asociación Paraguaya de Fútbol) and represents Paraguay in men's international football competitions. Paraguay is a member of CONMEBOL. The Albirroja has qualified for eight FIFA World Cup competitions (1930, 1950, 1958, 1986, 1998, 2002, 2006 and 2010) and has reached the second round of the competition on four occasions. A regular participant at the Copa América, Paraguay have been crowned champions of the competition on two occasions (in 1953 and 1979). Paraguay's highest FIFA World Rankings is 8th (March 2001) and lowest is 103 (May 1995), and was awarded second place with Best Move of the Year in 1996. The national team's most successful period was under the coaching of Argentine Gerardo Martino, who was awarded with the South American Coach of the Year in 2007 and took Paraguay to the quarter-final stages of a FIFA World Cup competition for the first time in history (in 2010) and also to the final of the 2011 Copa América, where Paraguay finished as runners-up. In the entire national team's history at the FIFA World Cup, both Carlos Gamarra and José Luis Chilavert hold the distinction of being selected as part of the All-Star Team, being for the 1998 edition. Paulo da Silva holds the most ammount of appearances for the national team with 116 and Roque Santa Cruz is the all-time leading goal scorer with 28 goals.

History

The beginning (1900–1930)

Soon after the introduction of football in Paraguay by Williams Paats, the Liga Paraguaya de Futbol (today Asociación Paraguaya de Fútbol) was created in 1906. The first national football team was organized in 1910 when an invitation by the Argentine club Hércules of Corrientes was received to play a friendly match. Members of that first national team where F. Melián, G. Almeida, A. Rodríguez, M. Barrios, P. Samaniego, J. Morín, Z. Gadea, D. Andreani, C. Mena Porta, B. Villamayor, M. Rojas and E. Erico. The match ended in a 0–0 draw.[2]

Because of the increasing number of invitations to play matches and international tournaments, the Asociación Paraguaya de Fútbol decided to officially create the national team and select the striped red and white jerseys that until this date remain as the official colours (taken from the Paraguayan flag). In late 1919 Paraguay accepted the invitation to play the 1921 Copa América and in order to prepare for that occasion a number of friendly matches were played between 1919 and the start of the tournament in 1921. The first of those friendly matches was a 5–1 loss against Argentina, and it marked the first international game by the Paraguayan national football team. When the 1921 Copa América finally arrived, Paraguay surprised everybody by beating then three-time South American champions Uruguay by 2–1, being this the first match in an official competition for the Paraguayan football team. Paraguay eventually finished fourth in the tournament and became a regular participant of the tournament for the next editions.

In 1930 Paraguay participated in the first World Cup, organized by Uruguay. 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.

First taste of success (1930–1970)

After good participations in the Copa América tournaments of 1929, 1947 and 1949 (where Paraguay finished in second place), Paraguay was ready for their next World Cup competition.

The return to the World Cup was in 1950, where 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.

The first big success came in 1953 when Paraguay won the Copa América disputed in Peru. In their road to the championship, Paraguay defeated Chile (3–0), Bolivia (2–1) and Brazil (2–1); and tied against Ecuador (0–0), Peru (2–2) and Uruguay (2–2). Since Paraguay and Brazil were tied in points at the end of the tournament, a final playoff match was played between them, with Paraguay winning the final by 3–2. Key players of the campaign included Ángel Berni, Heriberto Herrera and Rubén Fernández. The coach was Manuel Fleitas Solich.[3]

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.

The departure of several of their stars for European football (mainly Spain) resulted in a weakening of Paraguay's football fortunes somewhat, but they were only edged out by Mexico in the 1962 qualifiers.

More continental success (1970–1990)

Paraguay fell short in subsequent World Cup qualifying campaigns, but Copa América success (and that of one of its premier clubs Olimpia in the Copa Libertadores) in 1979 shored up Paraguay as a solid player on the continent.

The 1979 Copa América was won by Paraguay after finishing first in Group C (which had Uruguay and Ecuador as well) with two wins and two draws. In the semi-finals Paraguay defeated Brazil by an aggregate score of 4–3. In the finals, Paraguay defeated Chile by an aggregate score of 3–1 to claim its second continental crown. Players such as Julio Cesar Romero (Romerito), Carlos Alberto Kiese, Alicio Solalinde, Roberto Paredes, Hugo Ricardo Talavera and Eugenio Morel where an important part of the team, coached by Ranulfo Miranda.[4]

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 Romerito and strikers Roberto Cabañas, Ramon Angel Maria 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.[5]

The golden generation (1990–2006)

A drought followed once again, as Paraguay failed to reach Italy 1990 and U.S. 1994 World Cups.

In 1992, Paraguay won the South American Pre-Olympic tournament, which guaranteed a spot in the 1992 Summer Olympics football competition. In the Olympics, Paraguay finished second in its group and were eliminated by Ghana in the quarterfinals.[1] The most important aspect of that Paraguay team was the emergence of new young players like Carlos Gamarra, Celso Ayala, José Luis Chilavert, Francisco Arce and José Cardozo, which became part of the "golden generation" that led Paraguay to three straight World Cups and good performances in continental competitions, establishing Paraguay as one of the top teams in South America alongside Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay.

This new generation of players helped end the World Cup drought in grand fashion, as the Albirroja reached the France 1998 World Cup 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.

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.

2006 FIFA World Cup

Main article: 2006 FIFA World Cup
Paraguay during the line-up against England at the 2006 FIFA World Cup

The Uruguayan Aníbal Ruiz took with him 8 European based players and 11 South American based players, including captain Carlos Gamarra, to Germany for the 2006 tournament. Paraguay were without experienced striker José Cardozo, who had finished equal second in the CONMEBOL qualification with seven goals and had been named in the original squad, was injured during training sessions and replaced by Genoa striker Dante López. This was Paraguay's third consecutive FIFA World Cup tournament and the squad was expected to advance from beyond the group stage, given the experienced players within the side. Carlos Gamarra, Roque Santa Cruz, Nelson Cuevas, Carlos Bonet, Carlos Humberto Paredes, Diego Gavilán, Denis Caniza, Julio César Cáceres and Roberto Acuña had already represented Paraguay at previous FIFA World Cup tournaments. Both Roberto Acuña and Carlos Gamarra were participating in their third consecutive FIFA World Cup competition, and Gamarra shared the distinction of having also represented the Paraguay national under-23 football team at both the 1992 Summer Olympics and the 2004 Summer Olympics, the latter in which Édgar Barreto and Julio César Manzur had also participated, the latter two were also selected in the 23-man squad for Germany.

Paraguay against Sweden at the 2006 FIFA World Cup

Paraguay were drawn into Group B along side England, Sweden and Trinidad and Tobago. Paraguay faced England in their opening group stage match on 10 June in Frankfurt. After just three minutes, David Beckham had taken a long-distance free kick which landed in England's 18-yeard box and the ball was eventually headed into England's goal after coming off of Carlos Gamarra, who became one of four players to register an own goal at the tournament. Just moments later, goalkeeper Justo Villar was replaced by Aldo Bobadilla in the 8th minute after after damaging his leg attempting a sliding clearance. Villar left the field in tears and was subsequently sidelined for the rest of the tournament.[6] Paraguay had started with Roque Santa Cruz and Nelson Haedo Valdez up front and also maintained a strong midfield with Carlos Bonet, Cristian Riveros, Carlos Humberto Paredes and Roberto Acuña, however, England managed to hold onto their 1–0 lead to earn a victory. With Sweden and Trinidad and Tobago having drawn, Paraguay was required to gain at least one point in their next fixture in order to avoid elimination. They then faced Sweden on 15 June in Berlin in a match which was ultimately decided in the 89th minute when Fredrik Ljungberg headed past Aldo Bobadilla, effectively eliminated Paraguay after just two group stage matches without the Albirroja scoring a single goal. Paraguay's only compensation came in their third and last group stage fixture on against Trinidad and Tobago on 20 June. After Brent Sancho had netted an own goal and given Paraguay the lead by half-time, Nelson Cuevas was substituted onto the field in the 66th minute for Nelson Haedo and, with a one-two touch with Roque Santa Cruz, Cuevas was able to score in the 86th minute in Paraguay's 2–0 victory. Paraguay finished in third place of their respective group with three points and a two-two For-and-Against goal difference. Paraguay's group stage elimination made them the only South American national team which did not advance beyond the first round, with Argentina, Brazil and Ecuador making it to the round of 16 stage of the competition. Upon the conclusion of Paraguay's 2006 FIFA World Cup campaign, Aníbal Ruiz resigned as head coach and Raúl Vicente Amarilla was assigned as the interim coach, and Carlos Gamarra, who had participated in his tenth major competition for Paraguay, retired from international football.

2007–2009

Paraguay's national squad underwent a major transition after Germany 2006 because of the retirement of key players such as Carlos Gamarra, Francisco Arce, Celso Ayala, and goalkeeper José Luis Chilavert. Paraguay's under-20 side had won the Milk Cup in 2002, 2003 and 2006, and players such as Nelson Haedo Valdez, Aureliano Torres, Cristian Riveros, Julio dos Santos, José Montiel, Édgar Barreto and Óscar Cardozo were thought key to the re-building of the team. In 2007, Argentine Gerardo "Tata" Martino was designated as head-coach. The former Newell's Old Boys skipper's coaching career had blossomed in Paraguay where he formerly coached Club Libertad and Cerro Porteño.

2007 Copa América

Main article: 2007 Copa América
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Argentina 3 3 0 0 9 3 +6 9
 Paraguay 3 2 0 1 8 2 +6 6
 Colombia 3 1 0 2 3 9 −6 3
 United States 3 0 0 3 2 8 −6 0

Gerardo Martino took with him a relatively experienced squad to Venezuela, with Darío Verón, Claudio Morel Rodríguez, Carlos Bonet, Julio Manzur, Paulo da Silva, Aureliano Torres, Roque Santa Cruz and captain Julio César Cáceres all re-appearing for the national team, and new comers Enrique Vera, Óscar Cardozo and the Argentine-born Jonathan Santana were appearing for Paraguay in their first major tournaments. The competition also proved to be one of the last national team involvements from veteran Nelson Cuevas. Paraguay were drawn into Group C, alongside Argentina, Colombia, and the USA. In Paraguay's first fixture, they would defeat Colombia 5–0 after a hat-trick from Roque Santa Cruz and a double from Salvador Cabañas.[7] In Paraguay's second fixture against the USA, Édgar Barreto opened the scoring in the 29th minute just before the USA's Ricardo Clark would level the scores in the 35th minute. Paraguay would win the match 3–1 after a goal from Óscar Cardozo and a 92nd minute free kick from Salvador Cabañas would seal the game for the Albirroja.[8] With both Paraguay and Argentina having obtained six points and qualifying from beyond their Group C, the two teams faced in their last group stage fixture with a less strengthened side, Roque Santa Cruz, Édgar Barreto, Cristian RIveros and Paolo da Silva all commencing on the bench as Nelson Cuevas would gain his first appearance of the competition and Aldo Bobadilla would play a full 90-minutes of the fixture, replacing Justo Villar for the second time in the tournament. A 79th minute Javier Mascherano goal was enough to seal a 1–0 victory for Argentina,[9] as Paraguay advanced to the knock-out stages to face Mexico. Mexico had already beaten Brazil in the group stage and had finished in first place of their respective Group B with seven points. After Paraguayan goal keeper Aldo Bobadilla had earned a straight red card in the 3rd minute, Paraguay conceded a penalty in the 5th minute and eventually found them selves down 3–0 at half-time. Mexico would score another three more goals, thrashing Paraguay 6–0 and ending their Copa América campaign.[10]

2010 FIFA World Cup qualification

Main article: 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL)

Template:2010 FIFA World Cup qualification - CONMEBOL

After a series of friendly matches, Paraguay commencing their 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign with a 0–0 away draw against Peru in October 2007.[11] Four days later, a 14th minute goal from Nelson Haedo Valdez sealed a 1–0 home victory against Uruguay.[12] Haedo Valdez would open the scoring in Paraguay's next match, a 5–1 home victory against Ecuador in November, which saw Cristian Riveros score a double and a goal each from Roque Santa Cruz and Néstor Ayala.[13] In Paraguay's fourth and last World Cup qualifier of 2007, a double from defender Paulo da Silva, who scored both goals with his head from corner kicks, and a goal from Salvador Cabañas earned Paraguay a 3–0 away victory.[14] The victory placed Paraguay in first position of the CONMEBOL table, having conceded just one goal in four matches and having obtained ten points in four matches. Paraguay would eventually remain in first position of the CONMEBOL table for nine consecutive rounds (from round 4 to round 12). In 2008, Paraguay continued preparing for their first World Cup qualification match of that year, playing out five matches by June 2008 (three friendlies and two Kirin Cup matches). On 15 June 2008, Paraguay defeated Brazil 2–0 at home with 10 men.[15][16] Roque Santa Cruz opened the scoring in the 25th minute, latching on to an Édgar Barreto corner and side footing the ball into the net with his right foot. Dario Verón received his second yellow card of the match in the 47th minute and was subsequently sent off, however, one minute later, Nelson Haedo had played Santa Cruz through and his shot was eventually blocked by Brazil's Júlio César and tapped into the net on the re-bound by Salvador Cabañas who made it 2–0 in the 48th minute. By that stage, Paraguay had conceeded just one goal in five rounds. Three days later, Paraguay would lose for the first time in the qualification campaign, in a 4–2 away defeat against Bolivia in La Paz.[17] Paraguay had been trailling 2–0 by half-time when Gerardo Martino made a double substition when he brought on both Roque Santa Cruz and Nelson Haedo Valdez for Salvador Cabañas and Óscar Cardozo in the 62nd minute. Both players managed to score in the second half, however, Bolivia eventually went on to win the match. By September, Paraguay travelled to Buenos Aires to face Argentina on 6 September 2008.[18] In the 14th minute, Nelson Haedo Valdez was played through on goal beside Argentine defender Gabriel Heinze. Argentine goal keeper Roberto Abbondanzieri came out to the on rushing bouncing ball, only for Heinze, who intended to clear the ball, headed the ball into his own net as all three players collided.[19] Carlos Tévez was received his second yellow card in the 30th minute and Argentina were down to ten men. Sergio Agüero leveled the scores in the 61st minute and 1–1 was how it finished. Days later, first half goals from Cristian Riveros and Nelson Haedo Valdez were enough to seal a 2–0 home victory against Venezuela as Paraguay remained in first position of the CONMEBOL table.[20] In October 2008, Paraguay would earn two 1–0 victories against Colombia and Peru.[21][22] The results keeping Paraguay in first place of the CONMEBOL table as 2008 concluded, having been defeated just once and having conceded just fix goals in the entire qualification campaign. Paraguay's qualification campaign in 2009 commenced with a 2–0 away loss against Uruguay[23] and a 1–1 away draw against Ecuador,[24] which saw Paulo da Silva red carded in the 84th minute and Édgar Benítez leveling the match in the 92nd minute in Quito. By June, Paraguay would suffer a 2–0 home defeat at the hands of Chile,[25] and after having taken a 1–0 lead thanks to a 25th minute Salvador Cabañas free kick, Paraguay were defeated 2–1 away against Brazil.[26] In the last four matches of the qualification campaign, where which three of the four fixtures would be played at home, Cabañas netted a first half penalty to give Paraguay a 1–0 home victory against Bolivia on 5 September 2009.[27] Qualification was secured in the next fixture against Argentina on 9 September, when Salvador Cabañas had gone around three Argentine players and played Nelson Haedo through on goal who scored with a left footed shot in the 27th minute of the first half. By the 52nd minute of the match, Argentine Juan Sebastian Verón received his second yellow card of the match and Paraguay eventually won the fixture 1–0.[28] The win against Argentina, who at the time were coached by Diego Maradona, was Paraguay's second official win over Argentina.[29][30] In October, Paraguay concluded the qualification campaign with a 2–1 away victory against Venezuela and a 2–0 home loss against Colombia.[31][32] Paraguay, who would have finished in first place of the CONMEBOL table had they not lost against Colombia, concluded the qualification campaign with 33 points, as Salvador Cabañas finished in sixth position of the leading goal scorers, having scored six goals. With the exception of Round 1, Paraguay were positioned no lower than third on the CONMEBOL table through out the duration of the entire qualifying campaign.

2010 FIFA World Cup and 2011 Copa America

January 2010 Salvador Cabañas assault

On January 2010, a tragic head injury suffered in an assault forced Salvador Cabañas to abandon football for an unspecified period of time, which gave him no chance of making the final 23-man squad for South Africa 2010.[33] Cabañas was shot in the head inside the "Bar Bar" night club in Mexico City early 25 January 2010 at 5:00 in the morning.[34] Cabañas received medical attention during the early hours of 25 January 2010.[35] Later on the day he was submitted to a craniotomy but doctors decided that it was too risky to proceed and the bullet was not extracted. According to his wife, he tried to react against a robbery,[36] although this account is disputed by reports that the assault was the result of a taunting incident in the bar's bathroom.[37] Mexican police confirmed that a drug dealer and member of the Beltrán-Leyva Cartel called José Balderas Garza, alias JJ, was the man who shot him.[38] Cabañas left intensive care in late February and was hoping to fully recover in time for the FIFA World Cup 2010 but was not selected for the final Paraguay squad.[39] Doctors dealing with Cabañas have described his recovery so far as "tremendous".[40] However, it is announced he does have short-term memory loss and may not recover for another one to three years. He gave his first interview on 12 March 2010 in appreciation to all the people who prayed for him. In 2013, Cabañas gave his version of the incident which stated that in his opinion the attack occurred so that he would not play at the 2010 FIFA World Cup and that Paraguay would not be crowned champions of the competition.[41]

2010 FIFA World Cup

Main article: 2010 FIFA World Cup

Template:2010 FIFA World Cup Group F Prior to the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Lucas Barrios, an Argentine footballers of Paraguay descent, would change his nationality under FIFA regulations in order to represent the Albirroja at the tournament in South Africa. He would join Nestor Ortigoza and Jonathan Santana in being the third Argentine to be selected in Paraguay's 23-man squad for the tournament. Without Salvador Cabañas, Paraguay had played out five friendly matches in preparation for the tournament, with Lucas Barrios impressing up front after scoring in three consecutive matches (against Ireland, Ivory Coast and Greece) out of the five friendlies played.[42][43][44] Despite experiment with young players such as Marcelo Estigarribia, who had scored in Paraguay's first 2010 friendly against South Africa on 31 March,[45] and Hernán Pérez, Paraguay had a full strength and experienced side with Roque Santa Cruz, Édgar Barreto, Carlos Bonet, Enrique Vera, Cristian Riveros, Nelson Haedo Valdez and Paulo da Silva, who were the majority of the players that featured in the tournament's qualifying campaign and were believed to have been at the best moment of their football careers. Paraguay had qualified for their fourth consecutive FIFA World Cup tournament, and the 2010 edition proved to be the second tournament for some players, the third consecutive World Cup for Roque Santa Cruz, Carlos Bonet Justo Villar and Julio César Caceres, and a record fourth consecutive World Cup for Denis Caniza. The final squad, which consisted of 9 European based players, were expected to advance to at least the round of 16 stage of the competition according to the Paraguayan media,[46] however, defender Antolin Alcaraz believed that Paraguay had what was "required to reach the semi-finals"[47] and Nelson Haedo Valdez also believed that the current generation was the one to go further than Paraguay had ever been before.[48]

The Albirroja against Italy on 14 June 2010

Paraguay were drawn into Group F along side World Champions Italy, Slovakia and New Zealand. Paraguay would face Italy in their opening group stage match and would take a 1–0 lead in the 39th minute thanks to a header from Antolin Alcaraz, who latched on to a free kick to beat Gianluigi Buffon.[49] Paraguay eventually drew 1–1 after conceding a goal in the second half. Paraguay faced Slovakia in their second group stage match and would score in the 27th minute of the first half when Enrique Vera would open the scoring in a run of play counter attack on Slovakia. During the second half, Aureliano Torres would deliver a free kick into Paraguay's attacking 18-yard box, where Cristian Riveros would eventually find him self with the ball after receiving it from a Paulo da Silva header, and score from a 20-yard shot, just out side of the 18-yard box, in the 86th minute of the match to give Paraguay a 2–0 lead and eventual victory.[50] The result placed Paraguay in first place of their respective group, with four points. In Paraguay's last group stage fixture, they would play out a 0–0 draw with New Zealand, and eventually finish in first place of Group F.[51] Paraguay were drawn against Japan, who had finished as runners-up in Group E, at the round of 16 stage. The two sides faced each other at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria on 29 June. After 120 minutes, the match was tied at 0–0 and eventually determined via a penalty shoot-out. Édgar Barreto, Lucas Barrios, Cristian Riveros and Nelson Haedo Valdez would score four straight penalties for Paraguay, as Japan's Yūichi Komano failed to convert one of Japan's four spot kicks. Óscar Cardozo, who had been substituted onto the field for Roque Santa Cruz in the 94th minute of the match, then stepped up to slot home Paraguay's fifth penalty to win the shoot out at 5–3.[52] The win meant that Paraguay had advanced beyond the round of 16 for the first time in the national team's history. The Albirroja were drawn against Spain, who had defeated Portugal at the round of 16, at the quarter-final stage of the tournament. The match was played on 3 July at the Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg in front of 55,359 spectators.[53] Paraguay commenced the match with a strong line up, Nelson Haedo and Oscar Cardozo were partnered up front as Paulo da Silva, Darío Verón, Antolin Alcaraz and Claudio Morel Rodríguez formed a strong defence. The first half, which saw Nelson Haedo score past Iker Casillas but having a goal ruled out for offside, concluded 0–0. The second half saw Oscar Cardozo, who was pulled down by Gerard Piqué in Spain's penalty, fail to convert a penalty for Paraguay in the 59th minute, and four minutes later, Xabi Alonso also failed to convert a penalty for Spain in the 62nd minute, when David Villa was ruled by the referee to have been brought down by Antolín Alcaraz.[54] 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. Paraguay continued to attack when Roque Santa Cruz was subtituted onto the field in the 73rd minute for Nelson Haedo, however, Spain ultimately managed to take the lead in the 83rd minute when 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 in the 1–0 result, who would go on to be crowned as World Champions after defeating Holland 1–0 in the final on 11 July. The quarter-final appearance was recorded Paraguay's best ever performance.[55] After the match, Gerardo Martino stated that he would be leaving his position at the end of his contract.

The Albirroja arrived back from South Africa on Monday 5 July 2010 at 03:30AM. Upon arrival, the entire national team was greeted by over 3,000 fans at the Silvio Pettirossi International Airport and were decorated by the then President of Paraguay, Fernando Lugo. Gerardo Martino announced that he would take some time to decide his future, although the Paraguayan Football Association had offered him a four year contract to continue. Roque Santa Cruz also announced that the 2010 FIFA World Cup would be his last World Cup, but that he may continue to play one more international tournament which would be the 2011 Copa América held in Argentina. After the tournament, the Albirroja would participate in six friendly matches (including a 7–0 thrashing victory against Hong Kong in November), which would see the national team conclude 2010 on a positive note.

2011 Copa América

Main article: 2011 Copa América
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Brazil 3 1 2 0 6 4 +2 5
 Venezuela 3 1 2 0 4 3 +1 5
 Paraguay 3 0 3 0 5 5 0 3
 Ecuador 3 0 1 2 2 5 −3 1
Paraguayan fans at the 2011 Copa América final

The Albirroja participated in seven friendly matches prior to the 2011 Copa América would commence in July, were Paraguay were drawn in to Group B with Brazil, Venezuela and Ecuador. Gerardo Martino included with him new players such as Marcos Caceres, Marcelo Estigarribia, Hernán Pérez, Osvaldo Martinez, Pablo Zeballos and Iván Piris, who were all participating in their first major competition at international level. The competition itself being held in Argentina was an advantage to Paraguay, due to the Paraguayan population in the host country. Paraguay would draw their opening group stage match 0–0 with Ecuador before facing the Copa América defending champions Brazil in their second group stage fixture. Paraguay would face Brazil on 9 July at the Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes in Córdoba. After trailing 1–0 at half time, a cross was played through to Roque Santa Cruz from the wing as the striker side footed the equalizer in the 54th minute. Santa Cruz was replaced by Haedo Valdez in the 56th minute, and ten minutes later Haedo Valdez would score for Paraguay, given them a 2–1 lead in the 66th minute. The scores were leveled 2–2 by Fred in the 89th minute, as Paraguay would settle for their second consecutive draw of the tournament. On 13 July, Paraguay played out a 3–3 draw with Venezuela, in a match which saw goals from Antolin Alcaraz, Lucas Barrios and an 85th minute goal from Cristian Riveros, which had Paraguay 3–1 in front. However, Venezuela would score in both the 89th and 92nd minute of the match to draw at 3–3. Paraguay concluded the group stage phase with three points from thee matches, as the group's third place finisher and the competition's second-best third-place finisher in the group stage. Paraguay were drawn against Brazil at the quarter final stages, where the match was played at the Estadio Ciudad de La Plata on 17 July. After a 0–0 after 120 minutes, which saw two red cards (to Lucas Leiva and Antolín Alcaraz in the 103rd minute), the match was decided via a penalty shoot out. Brazil failed to convert all of their four spot kicks as Paraguay, who had seen Édgar Barreto miss his spot kick, converted two out of their three penalties, when both Marcelo Estigarribia and Cristian Riveros scored from the spot, to win the penalty shoot out 2–0. Paraguay then faced Venezuela in the semi-final on 20 July. Roque Santa Cruz, who was carrying an injury, had been substituted onto the field in the 73rd minute for Nelson Haedo, but then replaced in the 80th minute for Osvaldo Martínez. Jonathan Santana received his second yellow card of the match in the 102nd minute as the fixture ended 0–0 after extra time. Paraguay eventually won 5–3 via their second consecutive penalty shoot out, which saw Néstor Ortigoza, Lucas Barrios, Cristian Riveros, Osvaldo Martínez and Darío Verón score five out of their five spot kicks to send Paraguay to the 2011 Copa América final.

Final
Main article: 2011 Copa América Final
Paraguayan goalkeeper Justo Villar was awarded as the best goalkeeper of the tournament.

On 24 July, Paraguay faced Uruguay in the 2011 Copa América final. The fixture was played at River Plate's Estadio Monumental. It would be the first time that Paraguay would reach the final since the 1979 Copa América, which was the year in which they obtained their second Copa América title, as Paraguay had drawn five consecutive matches in order to make the final, without winning a single fixture. Paraguay suffered a difficult first half with Uruguay's Luis Suárez scoring in the 11th minute and Diego Forlán scoring in the 41st minute. Paraguay attacked with Nelson Haedo, who endured a full 90-minutes, playing up front as a center forward. Lucas Barrios, who had also acquired himself an injury, was substituted onto the field for Pablo Zeballos in the 76th minute, but damaged his hamstring in the last moments of the match. The match was decided in the 89th minute when Forlán scored for Uruguay to make it 3–0. Paraguayan goalkeeper Justo Villar was awarded as the Best goalkeeper of the tournament. Roque Santa Cruz played no part in the fixture due to injury. Gerardo Martino resigned soon afterwards as coach of the Albirroja.

Brazil 2014 qualifying and beyond

Paraguay failed to qualify for the Brazil 2014 World Cup, placing dead last amongst the nine South American nations that took part in the qualifying. Over the three years of qualifying, Paraguay went through three coaches. These were Francisco Arce, fired after losing to Bolivia in La Paz, Gerardo Pelusso and Victor Genes.

Managers

Dates Name
1921 Argentina José Durand Laguna
1922-26 Paraguay Manuel Fleitas
1942-43 Paraguay Manuel Fleitas
1945 Argentina José Durand Laguna
1945-46 Paraguay Aurelio González
1947-53 Paraguay Manuel Fleitas
1954 Italy Vessilio Bartoli
1955 Paraguay César López Fretes
1955 Paraguay Luis Magín Gómez
1956 Paraguay Julio Ramírez
1957-59 Paraguay Aurelio González
1959 Paraguay Benjamín Laterza
1960 Paraguay Eduardo López Morán
1960-61 Paraguay Aurelio González
1962 Paraguay Fulgencio Romero
1963 Uruguay Ondino Viera
Dates Name
1964-65 Paraguay Manuel Fleitas
1966 Paraguay Aurelio González
1967 Paraguay Benjamín Fernández
1967-68 Paraguay Aurelio González
1969 Uruguay José María Rodríguez
1970 Paraguay Benjamín Laterza
1970-72 Paraguay Aurelio González
1973 Brazil Paulo Amaral
1973 Uruguay Washington Etchamendi
1974 Paraguay Aurelio González
1974 Uruguay José María Rodríguez
1976-77 Paraguay Ramón Rodríguez
1979 Paraguay Luis Magín Gómez
1979-80 Paraguay Ranulfo Miranda
1980-83 Paraguay Carlos Monín
1983 Paraguay Ramón Rodríguez
Dates Name
1983-85 Paraguay Ranulfo Miranda
1985-86 Paraguay Cayetano Ré
1987 Paraguay Juan Francisco Rivera
1987 Paraguay Silvio Parodi
1988-89 Argentina Eduardo Luján Manera
1990 Argentina Óscar Valdez
1991-92 Paraguay Carlos Kiese
1992-93 Uruguay Sergio Markarián
1993 Argentina Héctor Corte
1993 Paraguay Alicio Solalinde
1993 Brazil Valdir Espinosa
1993-94 Paraguay Alicio Solalinde
1995 Hungary László Kubala
1996 Paraguay Gerardo González
1996-98 Brazil Paulo César Carpegiani
1998 Paraguay Julio Carlos Gómez
Dates Name
1998-99 Uruguay Ever Hugo Almeida
1999-2001 Uruguay Sergio Markarián
2001 Paraguay Víctor Genes
2001-02 Italy Cesare Maldini
2002-06 Uruguay Aníbal Ruiz
2006 Paraguay Raúl Vicente Amarilla
2006-11 Argentina Gerardo Martino
2011-12 Paraguay Francisco Arce
2012-13 Uruguay Gerardo Pelusso
2013- Paraguay Víctor Genes

Results and Fixtures

Recent and forthcoming matches

Matches from the past 12 months as well as any future scheduled matches.

See also 2013 Paraguay national team results.

See also 2014 Paraguay national team results.

2013

February 6, 2013 Friendly Paraguay  3 – 0  El Salvador Asunción, Paraguay
Stadium: Estadio Dr. Nicolás Leoz
March 22, 2013 2014 WCQ Uruguay  1 – 1  Paraguay Montevideo, Uruguay
19:00 UTC-3 Stadium: Estadio Centenario
Referee: Wilmar Roldán
March 26, 2013 2014 WCQ Ecuador  4 – 1  Paraguay Quito, Ecuador
16:00 UTC-5 Stadium: Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa
Referee: Sandro Ricci
June 7, 2013 2014 WCQ Paraguay  1 – 2  Chile Asunción, Paraguay
21:10 Riveros Yellow card 19'
Candia Yellow card 80'
Santa Cruz 88'		 Summary Vargas 41'
Vidal 56'
Gutiérrez Yellow card 90'
Isla Yellow card 90+1'		 Stadium: Estadio Defensores del Chaco
Attendance: 30,000
Referee: Brazil Leandro Pedro Vuaden
August 14, 2013 Friendly Germany  3 – 3  Paraguay Kaiserslautern, Germany
18:45 GMT Gündoğan 18'
Müller 31'
Bender 75'		 (Report) Núñez 9'
Pittoni 13'
Samudio 46'		 Stadium: Fritz-Walter-Stadion
Attendance: 47,500
Referee: Ivan Bebek
September 6, 2013 2014 WCQ Paraguay  4 – 0  Bolivia Asunción, Paraguay
18:30 UTC−4 Fabbro 17'
Santa Cruz 47'
Ortiz 81'
Gómez 84'		 Report Stadium: Estadio Defensores del Chaco
Attendance: 10,000
Referee: Víctor Hugo Carrillo (Peru)
September 10, 2013 2014 WCQ Paraguay  2 – 5  Argentina Asunción, Paraguay
Nunez 18'
Santa Cruz 85'
Fernandez Yellow card 11'		 12' (pen.), 52' (pen.) Messi
32' Aguero
50' Di Maria
90' Maxi Rodríguez
Yellow card 69' Zabaleta		 Stadium: Estadio Defensores del Chaco
Attendance: 27,000
Referee: Enrique Osses (Chile)
October 11, 2013 2014 WCQ Venezuela  1 – 1  Paraguay San Cristóbal, Venezuela
Luis Seijas 82'' 28' Edgar Benitez Stadium: Estadio Polideportivo de Pueblo Nuevo
Referee: Victor Carrillo (Peru)
October 15, 2013 2014 WCQ Paraguay  1 – 2  Colombia Asunción, Paraguay
Jorge Rojas 7' 38', 56' Mario Yepes Stadium: Estadio Defensores del Chaco
Referee: Diego Abal (Argentina)

2014

March 5, 2014 Friendly Costa Rica  2 – 1  Paraguay San José, Costa Rica
Joel Campbell 42'
Álvaro Saborío 72'		 Report Gustavo Raul Gómez 85' Stadium: Estadio Nacional
Referee: Armando Castro (Honduras)
May 29, 2014 Friendly[56] Cameroon  v  Paraguay Kufstein, Austria
June 1, 2014 Friendly[57] France  v  Paraguay Nice, France

  Win   Draw   Loss

Players

Current squad

The following players were named for the Friendly match against Costa Rica on March 5, 2014.[58]

Caps and goals current as of March 5, 2014.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Roberto Fernández (1988-03-29) March 29, 1988 (age 36) 3 0 Paraguay Cerro Porteño
1GK Alfredo Aguilar (1988-07-18) July 18, 1988 (age 36) 0 0 Paraguay Guaraní
2DF Marcos Cáceres (1986-05-05) May 5, 1986 (age 38) 15 0 Argentina Newell's Old Boys
2DF Gustavo Gómez (1993-05-06) May 6, 1993 (age 31) 4 2 Paraguay Libertad
2DF Júnior Alonso (1993-02-11) February 11, 1993 (age 31) 2 0 Paraguay Cerro Porteño
2DF Jorge Moreira (1990-01-01) January 1, 1990 (age 35) 2 0 Paraguay Libertad
2DF Gustavo Mencia (1988-07-05) July 5, 1988 (age 36) 1 0 Paraguay Libertad
2DF Danilo Ortiz (1992-07-28) July 28, 1992 (age 32) 1 0 Paraguay Cerro Porteño
3MF Cristian Riveros (1982-10-16) October 16, 1982 (age 42) 88 15 Brazil Grêmio
3MF Víctor Cáceres (1985-03-25) March 25, 1985 (age 39) 54 0 Brazil Flamengo
3MF Julio dos Santos (1983-05-07) May 7, 1983 (age 41) 34 3 Paraguay Cerro Porteño
3MF Hernán Pérez (1989-02-25) February 25, 1989 (age 35) 16 1 Greece Olympiacos
3MF Víctor Ayala (1988-01-01) January 1, 1988 (age 37) 16 0 Argentina Lanús
3MF Jorge Rojas (1993-01-07) January 7, 1993 (age 31) 5 1 Portugal Belenenses
3MF Celso Ortiz (1989-01-26) January 26, 1989 (age 35) 3 0 Netherlands AZ
4FW Nelson Haedo Valdez (1984-11-28) November 28, 1984 (age 40) 67 12 Greece Olympiacos
4FW Édgar Benítez (1987-11-08) November 8, 1987 (age 37) 37 6 Mexico Toluca
4FW Pablo Velázquez (1987-03-12) March 12, 1987 (age 37) 3 0 Mexico Toluca
4FW Derlis González (1994-03-23) March 23, 1994 (age 30) 1 0 Paraguay Olimpia
4FW Jorge Recalde (1992-05-08) May 8, 1992 (age 32) 1 0 Paraguay Libertad

Recent call-ups

The following players have received a call-up within the past 12 months:

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Justo Villar (1977-06-30) June 30, 1977 (age 47) 103 0 Chile Colo-Colo v.  Colombia, October 15, 2013
GK Anthony Silva (1984-02-27) February 27, 1984 (age 40) 4 0 Colombia Deportes Tolima v.  Colombia, October 15, 2013
GK Roberto Acosta (1984-07-12) July 12, 1984 (age 40) 0 0 Paraguay Sol de América v.  Argentina, September 10, 2013
GK Tobías Vargas (1989-08-21) August 21, 1989 (age 35) 1 0 Paraguay Deportivo Capiatá v.  Chile, June 7, 2013
DF Paulo da Silva (1980-02-01) February 1, 1980 (age 44) 116 2 Mexico Toluca v.  Colombia, October 15, 2013
DF Carlos Bonet (1977-10-02) October 2, 1977 (age 47) 80 1 Paraguay Cerro Porteño v.  Colombia, October 15, 2013
DF Salustiano Candia (1983-07-08) July 8, 1983 (age 41) 6 0 Mexico Atlante v.  Colombia, October 15, 2013
DF José Cáceres (1985-04-28) April 28, 1985 (age 39) 0 0 Paraguay Nacional Asunción v.  Colombia, October 15, 2013
DF Darío Verón (1979-06-26) June 26, 1979 (age 45) 51 1 Mexico UNAM v.  Venezuela, October 10, 2013
DF Pablo Aguilar (1987-04-02) April 2, 1987 (age 37) 12 4 Mexico América v.  Venezuela, October 10, 2013
DF Miguel Samudio (1986-08-24) August 24, 1986 (age 38) 19 1 Brazil Cruzeiro v.  Argentina, September 10, 2013
DF Pedro Benítez (1981-03-23) March 23, 1981 (age 43) 12 0 Paraguay Libertad v.  Argentina, September 10, 2013
DF Matías Pérez (1994-01-04) January 4, 1994 (age 31) 0 0 Paraguay Rubio Ñu v.  Argentina, September 10, 2013
DF Lorenzo Melgarejo (1990-08-10) August 10, 1990 (age 34) 2 0 Russia Kuban Krasnodar v.  Germany, August 14, 2013
DF Antolín Alcaraz (1982-07-30) July 30, 1982 (age 42) 24 2 England Everton v.  Chile, June 7, 2013
DF Iván Piris (1989-03-10) March 10, 1989 (age 35) 13 0 Portugal Sporting Lisbon v.  Chile, June 7, 2013
DF Ismael Benegas (1987-08-01) August 1, 1987 (age 37) 3 0 Uruguay Nacional Montevideo v.  Chile, June 7, 2013
MF Sergio Aquino (1979-09-21) September 21, 1979 (age 45) 16 0 Paraguay Libertad v.  Colombia, October 15, 2013
MF Fidencio Oviedo (1987-05-30) May 30, 1987 (age 37) 11 0 Paraguay Cerro Porteño v.  Colombia, October 15, 2013
MF Óscar Romero (1992-07-04) July 4, 1992 (age 32) 5 0 Paraguay Cerro Porteño v.  Colombia, October 15, 2013
MF David Mendieta (1986-08-22) August 22, 1986 (age 38) 1 0 Mexico Chiapas v.  Colombia, October 15, 2013
MF Luis Miño (1990-01-30) January 30, 1990 (age 34) 1 0 Paraguay Sportivo Luqueño v.  Colombia, October 15, 2013
MF Richard Ortiz (1988-05-22) May 22, 1988 (age 36) 13 4 Mexico Toluca v.  Argentina, September 10, 2013
MF Jonathan Fabbro (1982-01-16) January 16, 1982 (age 42) 11 3 Argentina River Plate v.  Argentina, September 10, 2013
MF Wilson Pittoni (1985-08-14) August 14, 1985 (age 39) 5 1 Paraguay Olimpia v.  Argentina, September 10, 2013
MF Osvaldo Martínez (1986-04-08) April 8, 1986 (age 38) 28 1 Mexico América v.  Germany, August 14, 2013
MF Marcelo Estigarribia (1987-09-21) September 21, 1987 (age 37) 32 1 Italy Atalanta v.  Chile, June 7, 2013
MF Silvio Torales (1991-09-23) September 23, 1991 (age 33) 2 0 Paraguay Nacional Asunción v.  Chile, June 7, 2013
FW Roque Santa Cruz (Captain) (1981-08-16) August 16, 1981 (age 43) 97 28 Spain Málaga v.  Colombia, October 15, 2013
FW Óscar Cardozo (1983-05-20) May 20, 1983 (age 41) 49 9 Portugal Benfica v.  Colombia, October 15, 2013
FW José Ariel Núñez (1988-09-12) September 12, 1988 (age 36) 9 2 Denmark Brøndby v.  Colombia, October 15, 2013
FW Antonio Sanabria (1996-03-04) March 4, 1996 (age 28) 3 0 Italy Sassuolo v.  Colombia, October 15, 2013
FW Ángel Romero (1992-07-04) July 4, 1992 (age 32) 1 0 Paraguay Cerro Porteño v.  Argentina, September 10, 2013
FW Brian Montenegro (1993-06-18) June 18, 1993 (age 31) 0 0 Paraguay Rubio Ñu v.  Argentina, September 10, 2013
FW Luis Nery Caballero (1990-04-22) April 22, 1990 (age 34) 12 2 Russia Krylia Sovetov Samara v.  Germany, August 14, 2013
FW Dante López (1983-08-16) August 16, 1983 (age 41) 28 2 Mexico UNAM v.  Chile, June 7, 2013
FW Julián Benítez (1987-06-06) June 6, 1987 (age 37) 2 0 Paraguay Nacional Asunción v.  Chile, June 7, 2013

Previous squads

Records

As of 15 October 2013

Players in bold are still active at international level.

Tournament records

Head to head

Main article: Paraguay national football team head to head

World Cup record

Main article: Paraguay at the FIFA World Cup
File:Stamps of Paraguay, 2010-08.jpg
2010 FIFA World Cup
File:Stamps of Paraguay, 2010-09.jpg
2010 FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup record
Year Round Position GP W D* L GS 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 Round of 16 16th 4 1 1 2 6 7
Germany 2006 Group Stage 18th 3 1 0 2 2 2
South Africa 2010 Quarter-Final 8th 5 1 3 1 3 2
Brazil 2014 Did Not Qualify
Total Quarter-Final 8/19 27 7 10 10 30 38
*Denotes draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

Copa América record

File:Stamps of Paraguay, 2011-30.jpg
2011 Copa América
 
  • 1956 – Fifth place
  • 1957 – Withdrew
  • 1959 – Third place
  • 1959 – Fifth place
  • 1963 – Runners-up
  • 1967 – Fourth place
  • 1975 – Round 1
  • 1979 – Winners
  • 1983 – Semi-Finals
  • 1987 – Round 1
  • 1989 – Fourth place
  • 1991 – Round 1
  • 1993 – Quarter-Finals
  • 1995 – Quarter-Finals
  • 1997 – Quarter-Finals
  • 1999 – Quarter-Finals
  • 2001 – Round 1
  • 2004 – Quarter-Finals
  • 2007 – Quarter-Finals
  • 2011 – Runners-up

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Since 1992, squads for Football at the Summer Olympics have been restricted to three players over the age of 23. The achievements of such teams are not usually included in the statistics of the international team.
  2. ^ Template:Es icon http://www.albirroja.com/history/history2.html
  3. ^ Southamerican Championship 1953
  4. ^ Copa América 1979
  5. ^ Template:Es icon http://www.albirroja.com/history/history6.html
  6. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/world_cup_2006/teams/paraguay/5068154.stm
  7. ^ http://www.scoresway.com/?sport=soccer&page=match&id=441095
  8. ^ http://www.scoresway.com/?sport=soccer&page=match&id=441097
  9. ^ http://www.scoresway.com/?sport=soccer&page=match&id=441100
  10. ^ http://www.scoresway.com/?sport=soccer&page=match&id=471573
  11. ^ http://www.scoresway.com/?sport=soccer&page=match&id=524370
  12. ^ http://www.scoresway.com/?sport=soccer&page=match&id=524376
  13. ^ http://www.scoresway.com/?sport=soccer&page=match&id=524379
  14. ^ http://www.scoresway.com/?sport=soccer&page=match&id=524383
  15. ^ http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/southamerica/matches/round=250491/match=300035293/report.html
  16. ^ http://www.scoresway.com/?sport=soccer&page=match&id=524389
  17. ^ http://www.scoresway.com/?sport=soccer&page=match&id=524392
  18. ^ http://www.scoresway.com/?sport=soccer&page=match&id=524397
  19. ^ http://www.scoresway.com/?sport=soccer&page=match&id=524397
  20. ^ http://www.scoresway.com/?sport=soccer&page=match&id=524404
  21. ^ http://www.scoresway.com/?sport=soccer&page=match&id=524409
  22. ^ http://www.scoresway.com/?sport=soccer&page=match&id=524415
  23. ^ http://www.scoresway.com/?sport=soccer&page=match&id=524420
  24. ^ http://www.scoresway.com/?sport=soccer&page=match&id=524424
  25. ^ http://www.scoresway.com/?sport=soccer&page=match&id=524428
  26. ^ http://www.scoresway.com/?sport=soccer&page=match&id=524434
  27. ^ http://www.scoresway.com/?sport=soccer&page=match&id=524437
  28. ^ http://www.scoresway.com/?sport=soccer&page=match&id=524442
  29. ^ "Veron sees red as Argentina crash again". ESPN. 2009-09-09. Retrieved 2009-10-15.
  30. ^ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1212420/Diego-Maradona-brink-Argentina-suffer-blow-bid-reach-World-Cup.html
  31. ^ http://www.scoresway.com/?sport=soccer&page=match&id=524449
  32. ^ http://www.scoresway.com/?sport=soccer&page=match&id=524454
  33. ^ Soccer player who was shot in head out of ICU, The Associated Press, 17-02-2010
  34. ^ eluniversal.com.mx Cabañas ¿quién? ¿por qué?
  35. ^ Paraguay striker Cabanas shot in bar attack ESPN.com, 25 January 2010.
  36. ^ Cabañas leva tiro na cabeça em tentativa de assalto e corre risco de morte Globoesporte.com (Portuguese)
  37. ^ "Paraguay's Cabanas May Have Dared His Attacker". New York Times. 28 January 2010. Retrieved 29 January 2010. [dead link‍]
  38. ^ "Cabañas dijo no recordar nada del incidente sufrido en México". Associated Press. 28 June 2010. Retrieved 2010-08-02. {{cite news}}: |first= missing |last= (help)
  39. ^ http://football365.com/story/0,17033,8750_6149022,00.html
  40. ^ http://www.imscouting.com/global-news-article/Salvador-Cabanas-out-of-intensive-care/5891/
  41. ^ http://www.mediotiempo.com/futbol/internacional/noticias/2013/09/20/me-atacaron-para-no-ir-al-mundial-cabanas
  42. ^ http://www.scoresway.com/?sport=soccer&page=match&id=912421
  43. ^ http://www.scoresway.com/?sport=soccer&page=match&id=918243
  44. ^ http://www.scoresway.com/?sport=soccer&page=match&id=918236
  45. ^ http://www.scoresway.com/?sport=soccer&page=match&id=918228
  46. ^ http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/worldcup/southafrica2010/news/newsid=1189645/index.html
  47. ^ http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/worldcup/southafrica2010/news/newsid=1189645/index.html
  48. ^ http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/worldcup/southafrica2010/news/newsid=1212575/index.html
  49. ^ http://www.scoresway.com/?sport=soccer&page=match&id=878801
  50. ^ http://www.scoresway.com/?sport=soccer&page=match&id=878804
  51. ^ http://www.scoresway.com/?sport=soccer&page=match&id=878805
  52. ^ http://www.scoresway.com/?sport=soccer&page=match&id=881625
  53. ^ http://www.scoresway.com/?sport=soccer&page=match&id=881628
  54. ^ http://www.scoresway.com/?sport=soccer&page=match&id=881628
  55. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/world_cup_2010/matches/match_60/default.stm
  56. ^ http://www.fifa.com/associations/association=par/fixturesresults/gender=m/index.html#
  57. ^ http://www.fifa.com/associations/association=par/fixturesresults/gender=m/index.html#
  58. ^ [1]
  59. ^ a b Robert Mamrud. "Paraguay - Record International Players". RSSSF. Retrieved 2013-08-12.
Preceded by South American Champions
1953 (First title) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by South American Champions
1979 (Second title) 		Succeeded by
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