Match 27: Slovakia - Paraguay :: PBP [R]

Very soft yellow card on Weiss. The other guy has to at least fall down first, I would think.

 

In the qualifiers nearly all of their victories were by one goal: 1-0 or 2-1.

 

I wonder how they would do in the round of 16 against a team that simply will not quit for 90 minutes, like Germany, South Korea or the USA. These three have varying levels of skill, but they simply won't give up. A Paraguay "rope a dope" strategy might hit the wall with opponents like that.

 

Well, that's another characteristic of them: as you notice, the Paraguayans seldom flop, unless they are indeed kicked.

 

Riveros has it. This one's over.

 

2-0

 

Se acabo!! que un gol!!

 

Alright! Alright! now we're comfy

 

And that's that . . . .I'm gonna make a Starbucks run before the next kickoff.

 

Yeah, it was fun. Not the greatest game in the world, but entertaining all the same.

 

Pretty funny that 3 strikers where used and both goals where scored by midfielders.

Especially considering how terrible the midfield where vs Italy.

 

Well, it'd be interesting to watch.

As you notice, the Paraguayans individually have an excellent control of the ball, and as a team are quite tactical.

Otherwise, they seem to be mentally lazy. They let an Argentina they completely outplayed and dominated in Buenos Aires tie them, and after that didn't really seem interested in more, as if they had made the point by being ahead of them at their home for most of the match.

But no, I don't see any team but a top Euro team or Brazil or Argentina taking them out in the R16. Germany, yes. South Korea or USA, no. They are just too strong technically, you'd need to foul them to get the ball. As you notice, Slovakia has not had a single shot on goal in the whole game.

 

Paraguay controlled the game from start to finish, even when they didn't have possession they where controlling the game.

 

Well, there's the first shot on goal for them.

So CONMEBOL keeps their record. Not a single defeat so far.

 

That great save by Villar on the Vittek shot is precisely why you don't want to screw around with a 1 goal lead in the World Cup

 

86' 0-2 Paraguay free kick from 25m box left edge, to 6m just outside the 6-top right. #14 Paulo Da Silva heads strongly toward the center of the goal mouth -- cleared at 6-top right post off a hip, bounces back to 14m right post, a soft void in Slovakia's defense. #13 Enrique Vera and Da Silva both converge on ball -- Vera occludes Da Silva's shot window! Da Silva has to play a dainty side-touch just to dodge Vera. Then lays off with left-outside to box top center, where #16 Cristian Riveros is also alone, and he blasts one-touch to the upper left corner.

 

Slovakia really didn't show up today, and no sign of leadership or mental toughness after the game 1 collapse (not all that surprising for WC first timers). Paraguay, the better side, gets a deserved victory.

 

They are a team that can frustrate their rivals.

They didn't let the Slovaks not even a little hole to have some hope to score, until the last minute when they were almost heading to the showers already.

It's easy to get a red against a team like that. It makes you feel powerless.

PS: They should have won by more though. This is coming to goal diff.