Paraguay beat Slovakia
Paraguay beat Slovakia
Posted: Jun 20 2010
Paraguay beat Slovakia 2-0 in a Group F clash at the Free State Stadium.
The opening half was controlled impressively by the Albirroja, though only Enrique Vera could find the net. Half-time seemed to half the South Americans’ momentum, but Slovakia barely stretched their opponents. Cristian Riveros secured the victory with five minutes remaining.
Before the half-hour mark, the South Americans would deservedly grab the lead. Barrios linked superbly with his team-mates, his deft pass to Vera was met by an astute finish from the midfielder, who timed his run superbly before bending the ball round Mucha with the outside of his boot under intense pressure.
After breaking the deadlock, the Paraguayan defence started having to work. Marek Hamsik nearly found Stanislav Sestak through on goal, and moments before Robert Vittek had just failed to connect with an early centre.
There was a shift of emphasis on the Slovakian game after the interval. Neither goalkeeper was remotely threatened in the opening 15 minutes of the second period as the Europeans were pressing their opponents far more effectively.
The first real chance of a stodgy second half didn’t arrive until the 71st minute.
A neat one-touch interchange down the Paraguayan left resulted in Santa Cruz galloping down the left touchline, from where he centred to Vera. Seeking his second goal, the midfielder headed downwards just past the left hand post of Mucha’s goal.
With five minutes remaining, Paraguay locked down the three points.
A free kick to the back post left the Slovakia defence scrambling, and when the ball broke to Riveros at the edge of the box, he drove firmly home.
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