Paraguay eye ‘life-changing’ Germany World Cup upset

BOSTON: Paraguay coach Gustavo Alfaro told his players to grasp the opportunity of a lifetime as they aim to knock out Germany in a seismic World Cup shock on Monday.

The South Americans bounced back from losing 4-1 to co-hosts the United States in their opening game to progress beyond the group stages at a World Cup for the first time since 2002 as one of the best third-placed sides.

Four-time winners Germany won Group E but were beaten by Ecuador in their last outing and were also far from convincing in securing a late win over the Ivory Coast.

“They are candidates to win the World Cup, but we will give everything on the pitch and this is a very good, very nice challenge,” said Alfaro at his pre-match press conference on Sunday.

Argentine Alfaro took over after a disastrous 2024 Copa America when Paraguay lost all three group games.

He praised his players’ ability to battle back from adversity and believes they have already met their goal just by making it to the knockout stages.

As one of the third-placed sides to progress, Paraguay had to wait for a couple of days after their last match, a 0-0 draw against Australia, to see if they would progress and where their round of 32 game would be.

“We only came late last night. It’s not the ideal time to prepare a match against Germany, but I really trust this team as a group and their response when faced with adversity,” added Alfaro.

“I told the players this is our first World Cup. You can take it in different ways but for me we have to recognise the achievements in what we have done to make it here.

“I’ve learned that only the chosen ones go to the World Cup, only a handful of people, and if you take advantage of the experience that a World Cup can give you, this improves your life.”

The winners of the clash in Boston face the daunting prospect of running into an in-form France should Les Bleus beat Sweden.