Paraguayan Gringo » Paraguay Soccer

Paraguay closer to World Cup spot with 1-0 win over Bolivia

Kadmiel — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 13:20:50 +0000

Salvador Cabanas scored a penalty in first-half injury time, lifting Paraguay to a 1-0 victory over Bolivia in a World Cup qualifier on Saturday.

The victory improved Paraguay to 27 points, putting it among the favourites from South America to make next year’s 32-team tournament in South Africa.

Bolivia has only 12 points.

Paraguay dominated the first half, with Bolivia coming up with only one serious scoring chance. Paraguay also had most of the play in the second half.

Cabanas scored from the spot after Marvin Bejarano brought down Carlos Bonet in the box. Until then, Hugo Suarez in the Bolivia goal showed top form to keep the hosts at bay with a string of good saves.

Paraguay threatened in the 15th minute when Cabanas’ shot was diverted for a corner.

Suarez was called into action in the 21st minute to save a Paulo Da Silva header and produced a double stop a few minutes later to foil Da Silva and Dario Veron.

Bolivia came closest on a free kick from Alejandro Gomez saved by Paraguay goalkeeper Justo Villar.

Paraguay is home against Argentina on Wednesday and Bolivia is home against Ecuador

Paraguay Soccer

Kadmiel — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 20:49:43 +0000

Manchester City striker Roque Santa Cruz will miss Paraguay’s World Cup qualifiers against Bolivia and Argentina next month because he has not yet recovered from the knee surgery he had in April.

Santa Cruz was not included in a 25-man squad named by coach Gerardo Martino on Tuesday for the home matches in Asuncion against Bolivia on September 5 and Argentina four days later.

Martino will be looking for an improvement in his team after a slump in form caused them to drop from top to third in the South American group and not win any of their four qualifiers so far this year, all of which Santa Cruz missed.

“It’s the worst moment we have gone through in the elimination series. We have gone four matches without winning, we’ve lost the last two and what was a calm run until last November has changed,” the Argentine said.

“Now we are really playing the qualifying campaign we had always imagined from the beginning,” Martino told a news conference.

Martino added that it was important for Paraguay, who are looking to reach their fourth World Cup in a row, to get a good result against the weaker Bolivians before facing Diego Maradona’s Argentina.

This year, Paraguay have lost away to Uruguay and Brazil and at home to Chile, picking up a solitary point in a 1-1 draw in Ecuador.

Paraguay have 24 points with four matches remaining, three points less than leaders Brazil and two behind Chile. Argentina are fourth with 22 points and Bolivia ninth with 12.

The teams finishing in the top four places qualify for next year’s finals in South Africa. The fifth-placed nation goes into a playoff with a team from the CONCACAF region.

Goalkeepers: Justo Villar (Real Valladolid), Aldo Bobadilla (Independiente Medellin), Diego Barreto (Cerro Porteno)

Defenders: Julio Cesar Caceres (Boca Juniors), Denis Caniza (Nacional, Paraguay), Carlos Bonet (Olimpia), Dario Veron (Pumas UNAM), Paulo da Silva (Sunderland), Claudio Morel (Boca Juniors), Antolin Alcaraz (Club Bruges), Aureliano Torres (San Lorenzo), Marcos Caceres (Racing Club, Argentina), Miguel Angel Samudio (Libertad)

Midfielders: Enrique Vera (LDU Quito), Edgar Barreto (Atalanta), Cristian Riveros (Cruz Azul), Jonathan Santana (VfL Wolfsburg), Victor Caceres (Libertad), Osvaldo Martinez (Monterrey), Eduardo Ledesma (Lanus)

Forwards: Salvador Cabanas (America, Mexico), Nelson Haedo Valdez (Borussia Dortmund), Oscar Cardozo (Benfica), Edgar Benitez (Pachuca), Jorge Achucarro (Newell’s Old Boys)

Brazil defeats Paraguay 2-1 in qualifying

admin — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 00:30:38 +0000

Robinho and Nilmar scored in an eight-minute period either side of halftime as Brazil rallied for a 2-1 win over Paraguay on Wednesday and move a step closer to a place at the 2010 World Cup.
The five-time World Cup champion leads the 10-team South American qualifying group with four matches remaining.
But it had to withstand a worrying start from Paraguay, which opened the scoring in the 26th minute via Salvador Cabanas — only the sixth goal against the Brazilians in 14 qualifiers.
Robinho equalized in the 41st minute and Nilmar made it 2-1 in the 49th.
Brazil has 27 points in qualifying — one ahead of Chile — and is the only team to have played in every World Cup finals. Brazil’s next match is Sept. 5 at archrival Argentina.
“They were three important points, now we hope to beat Argentina in the next match to seal the qualification,” Robinho said.
Brazil coach Carlos Dunga, a defensive midfielder in his playing days who seems to have turned Brazil into a cohesive unit, took the victory in his stride.
“My main aim and that of the national side is to qualify for the World Club, and we still need three points to do that,” he said.
Brazil tried to control possession in the early exchanges with Robinho floating behind the strikers, and defender Daniel Alves raiding down the wing with Gilberto Silva sitting in front of the defense.
Paraguay started with three central defenders and five midfielders, relying on counterattacks centered on lone striker Cabanas.
A free kick from Cabanas deflected off Elano and past Brazil goalkeeper Julio Cesar.
With new Real Madrid signing Kaka closely marked, Brazil struggled to break down the Paraguay defense, but the resistance was overcome when Alves crossed to the back post for Robinho to score in the 41st.
Kaka, who this week moved from AC Milan to Real Madrid in a transfer estimated at $92 million, tipped his hat to the fans in Recife.
“I want to dedicate this victory to the followers in the Pernambucano (stadium) for the love and support they showed in the more difficult moments of the match,” he said.
Brazil took the lead soon after the break when Nilmar held off his marker to convert a high cross from Felipe Melo.
Brazil penned the Paraguayans back for most of the second half, coping comfortably with the sporadic counterattacks.
Alexandre Pato, who replaced Nilmar in the second half, missed a glaring opportunity in the closing stages to add a third goal.