Paraguay qualified for the last 16 of the World Cup despite being held to a goalless draw by a well-organised New Zealand in their Group F match on Thursday.
New Zealand were eliminated after three draws but had the satisfaction of finishing higher than holders Italy who also went out after losing 3-2 to Slovakia and finished bottom.
Paraguay’s coach Gerardo Martino was pleased to get through to the second round but unhappy with his side’s performance. “We played very badly in the first half and we played better in the second half,” he said after the match. “I’m pleased with the qualification but not with the way we played. We had a lot of problems in an area where we didn’t expect, and that was in attack.”
Striker Roque Santa Cruz agreed the game had been poor. “We’re very happy to have qualified but it was a very difficult game,” he said. “The game got boring because they were so defensive. In a game like this you expect to win but the important thing is we qualified.”
New Zealand, who had also held Slovakia and Italy, came into the tournament considered to be one of the weakest teams, and coach Ricki Herbert was thrilled the side had remained unbeaten. “I think I need to pinch myself,” he told reporters. “If you are going to exit the World Cup there are good ways of doing it. A lot of people thought we shouldn’t be here. But I think that’s dead and buried now,” he added. — Reuters