FIFA World Cup 2010: Paraguay Look Set in Group F, Leaving Slovakia in Trouble to Face Defending Champions Italy
The positions in certain groups at FIFA World Cup 2010 in South Africa are becoming clear. The opening fixtures were all drawn, with each side scoring one goal, created a position of stalemate. Slovakians would be in complete agony after drawing their first match against New Zealand, one of the weakest sides in this World Cup. Paraguay, on the other hand, drew against Italy, a more favourable result for the team. In the second round of the Group Stage, Paraguay was up against Slovakia, a match where the winner would be in a better position to qualify for the next round.
Paraguay showed a lot of quality in their World Cup qualifying campaign, but they were not able to display their qualities at the finals. This match, however, was a good experience for the team, as they were excellent in the attack and thrashed their opponents by 2-0. The Paraguayan forwards, Roque Santa Cruz, Lucas Barrios and Nelson Haedo Valdez, looked in good form against the Slovakians. Enrique Vera also played a pivotal role in the wing-attack and made excellent runs at the front. Vera also contributed by scoring a goal in the 27th minute and Cristian Riveros doubled the lead and sealed the match by scoring in the last five minutes.
Although, this was a great win for the Paraguayans, but still they missed a lot of opportunities. Slovakia was under pressure from the start, but Paraguay could not convert the pressure into goals. The plus point for the Paraguayans was that they defended very well at the back. Despite having a bad defensive record, they hardly gave any room to the Slovakians in addition, kept a good clean sheet.
Slovakia, on the other hand, had a very bad start to the match. They actually had a match slipped out of their hands when they drew against New Zealand. This time again, there was no intent, as was obvious from the players’ body language, to win the match. Slovakians were defending for the most part of the first half, but were unable to stop the striker in the 27th minute. Even after that, no passion was exhibited by the Slovakians, and they were continuously pressured by their opponents. The biggest disappointment for the Slovakian fans would be that throughout the match, there was only one shot on target by their team. Slovakia, who came on top of the Group in the Qualifying Round, has underplayed and their performance hasn’t been good enough.
Lucas Barrios was the definite Man of the Match for Paraguay; however, he had a close competition from Enrique Vera. He has the ability to put pressure on the defensive lines by virtue of his good skills. In addition, he contributed towards the team with an assist, a pass that found Vera in an open position and resulted in a goal.
The Paraguayans are now on top of the Group and are going to play their next fixture against New Zealand. They have passed their major tests in this Group F, as they got one point against Italy and the whole three points against Slovakia. These were the two favourites, besides Paraguay, to progress to the knock-out stages of the World Cup. Now, the easy thing remains, i.e. New Zealand, the weakest side in the Group. The only problem is that the Kiwis are not weak any more, as they drew their opening match against Slovakia, and also their second against Italy. The opposition would be tough for Paraguay, but it seems that they are well-prepared to win the encounter.
Slovakia, on the other hand, is in big trouble right now. They would face Italy in the last match of the Group, a match that they must win to qualify. Italy, however, would only require a draw to qualify for the knock-out stages. Slovakia would really be in search of the three points, but that would require a better play and more commitment from the players. This is the duty of the manager to keep the spirits of the squad high, which would be instrumental in the Slovakia’s next and final match of the Group.
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