Paraguay coach praises World Cup classification: "We had an epic night"

Gustavo Alfaro, coach of Paraguay, stated that the penalty shootout victory over Germany in the World Cup, this Monday 29th), was the result of the country's tradition as a respected defensive force.

The Argentine coach had been criticized after the South American team lost their debut 4-1 to the United States, one of the host countries, and scored just one more goal in the other two group stage matches.

Even so, the team managed to advance to the knockout stages and surprised Germany by winning 4-3 on penalties, after a 1-1 draw over 120 minutes, handing the four-time world champions their first defeat in a penalty shootout in the history of World Cups.

"I told the players that we had an epic night," Alfaro told reporters after his team secured a place in the round of 16. "Resistance is part of our identity."

Paraguay opened the scoring in the 42nd minute of the first half, with a header from Julio Enciso, before Kai Havertz equalized in the ninth minute of the final half.

After that, the South Americans tightened their defense, survived a disallowed German goal and managed to take the decision to penalties. José Canale converted the decisive kick, but only after two of his teammates missed their attempts.

"It was a very difficult game," said Alfaro. "We knew we would face a moment of adversity, but instead of focusing on the differences, we wanted to come to compete. As always happens with us, we don't achieve anything without suffering", he concluded.

Paraguay will face France or Sweden in the round of 16 of the World Cup, next Saturday (4), at 6pm (Brasília time), at Lincoln Financial Field, in Filadelfia.

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Source: CNN