Tim VickeryJul 3, 2026, 03:10 AM ET
Twenty-eight years have passed -- almost to the day -- since Paraguay came close to altering the sport's history in the 21st century.
On home ground, still in search of their first FIFA World Cup triumph, France were being frustrated almost to the point of despair by Paraguay's typically resilient display of defense. Desperate and yet calm, the Paraguayans were forced back in their own half, repelling wave after wave of French attacks and attempting to launch their own sporadic breaks.
It was familiar to a country that has huge pride in its warrior streak.
Paraguay were just six minutes from a penalty shootout, where the presence of larger-than-life goalkeeper Jose Luis Chilavert might well have made them favorites. And then France center back Laurent Blanc struck with the first golden goal in World Cup history, and France were on their way.
A few weeks later, they were world champions, supplying a surge of confidence that has carried the French to new heights.
They are now perhaps the world's foremost producer of talent and have a claim to be considered, along with Argentina, the outstanding national team of recent times. And now, on a sweltering Saturday afternoon in Philadelphia, Paraguay will attempt to frustrate them once more.
The 2026 version of France are more fearsome than that of 1998, when Zinedine Zidane was suspended, and center forward was a problem position. A midfielder on that side, current coach Didier Deschamps has a breathtaking array of attacking talent at his disposal.
Paraguay, meanwhile, are unchanged. They might be outgunned, but they will refuse to be outfought. And they are on a high after Monday's dramatic and historic elimination of Germany. Team coach Gustavo Alfaro laid out the manifesto on the eve of the Germany game.
"We came here to compete," he said, "Not to search for results. This group of players have overcome adversities and shown that football does not depend on the amount of money that a country has. Our people get back up from adversities, and we want to represent this spirit on the field."
Paraguay's main setback came in the first half of the opening game against the United States, which rolled to victory. The collective movement of the American team is setting challenges for all its opponents. But from a Paraguayan point of view, the most painful aspect of the 4-1 defeat was the lack of individual responses from all of the defenders.
A Paraguayan backline can usually be compared to a group of nightclub bouncers, doggedly keeping undesirable elements away from the penalty area. But the bouncers took a night off, and the American attackers took advantage.
Right back Juan Cáceres, so impressive by marking out Vinícius Júnior in a memorable win against Brazil in World Cup qualification, was outplayed by Christian Pulisic. Omar Alderete, such an impressive center back with Sunderland, had a night to forget. Captain Gustavo Gómez and left back Júnior Alonso looked older than their age -- both 33 -- suggested.
It was not going to happen twice. A gifted coach, Alfaro made adjustments at the interval, and Paraguay responded reasonably well in the second half of the defeat. But there was no upside to take away from a match in which they had a letdown, in which they had been unable to compete, in which they had not let their people back home feel represented.
And so it was back to the pure essence of Paraguay in the next game, against Türkiye. Their pride at an all-time low, the defenders were highly motivated. After taking a first-minute lead, there was no way that they would let Türkiye score, even after losing Miguel Almirón to a red card before halftime.
Stubborn and tenacious, they held the Turks at bay, and after a goalless draw against Australia that served everyone's interests, they set out to do the same against the Germans.
Alfaro is from Argentina, but his understanding of the Paraguayan psyche is so profound that in his own way, serious and low profile, he has become a national star. He took over two years ago, after Paraguay had made a disastrous start to World Cup qualification and been even worse in the Copa América.
A first World Cup since 2010 seemed a long way off, but he made it happen in relative comfort. He reminded his players of the dreams they nurtured as children: to become a soccer player, to play in the first division, to pull on the Paraguay shirt, and, biggest of all, to be part of a World Cup, as he called on them to take that inner child onto the field with them.
Paraguay will never win many marks for style, but there is something special, almost spiritual, in their commitment to defense.
It is there in central midfielder Andrés Cubas, a tireless ball-winning presence. It has been there, too, in left-footed midfielder Matías Galarza, who scored against Türkiye and set up the goal against Germany, while also getting through an immense amount of defensive work.
But will this be enough to hold off the French? Alfaro will want his team to defend aggressively and cause the French some occasional problems.
Will Strasbourg's Julio Enciso, who limped off early in the second half against Germany, be ready for the match? Enciso, who scored in that game, is their one outstanding player, a talented and elusive runner with the ball, full of clever changes of direction.
He suffered a muscular problem shortly before the tournament, and it might have flared up again.
Also, they haven't been able to get Ramón Sosa, the former Nottingham Forest winger, onto the pitch. They have the pace of Atlanta United's Miguel Almirón, and after suspension, they welcome back Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Diego Gómez, whose shooting from range might be useful.
Alfaro has already used four center forwards and seems unconvinced by all of them. Before the Germany game, he said that Gabriel Ávalos would play and justified his selection by the need for height to defend set pieces. It all looks very paltry when set against Kylian Mbappé and Co.
Going into the game, then, it looks unlikely to expect Paraguay to eliminate a second European giant.
But leaving Germany in their trail is already a mighty achievement, one that should make the Paraguayan people proud of the way they have been represented on the global stage.
Source: https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/49254866/paraguays-inspired-return-world-cup-success