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Yes way, Paraguay
Attacking Paraguayans beat Nigeria 3-1 to advance
Posted: Wednesday June 24, 1998 08:54 PM
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Paraguayan fans cheered their team on to victory (AP) |
TOULOUSE, France (AP) --
Paraguay
attacked, for a change. Nigeria did
not, for a change.
Celso Ayala scored Paraguay's first goal of the World up after just 51
seconds and the South Americans went on to beat a listless Nigeria 3-1
Wednesday to reach the round of 16.
Nigeria, which used just four regular starters in its lineup, had
already clinched first place in Group D by beating Spain and Bulgaria for
six points.
The Super Eagles face Denmark, second
in Group C, in the second round Sunday at Saint-Denis, while Paraguay --
with five points -- takes on host France at Lens the same day.
Spain finished one point behind Paraguay despite routing bottom
Bulgaria 6-1 Wednesday at Lens.
"We are euphoric. We had to win and we did," Paraguay coach Paulo
Cesar Carpeggiani said. "But tomorrow is another day and we have to start
thinking about the next round."
Nigerian goalkeeper, Peter Rufai, warned not to read too much into
Nigeria's first loss.
"There is no cause for alarm," he said. "We took the game seriously
but not to the point of going out there willing to die on the pitch, like
we usually do."
Paraguay immediately showed this match would be nothing like its two
dour 0-0 draws earlier in the tournament.
Ayala's header was the fastest World Cup goal since Bryan Robson's
27-second strike for England against
France in Bilbao, Spain, in 1982.
Miguel Benitez brought the ball down the right flank and was fouled
along the side of the penalty area.
Defender Francisco Arce lofted the ensuing free kick and a completely
unimpeded Ayala was able to head home. He beat poorly positioned keeper
Peter Rufai to the ball and no Nigerian defender made a serious effort to
get there first.
"Finally the goal arrived," said Benitez, who went on to score
Paraguay's second in the 59th minute. "This is the result of hard work by
the entire team."
After the disastrous start, the Super Eagles did not take long to turn
things around.
Jose Cardozo celebrates Paraguay's third goal which wrapped up the match (AP) | |
Ayala cleared a dangerous header from Augustine Eguavoen off the line
in the 10th, and no one stopped winger Wilson Oruma's shot one minute
later. Nwankwo Kanu released Tijani Babangida into the right side of the
box and the Ajax of Amsterdam sparkplug slipped by two defenders before
sliding the ball to an unmarked Oruma, who drove it in from near the
penalty spot.
Paraguay's flamboyant keeper, Jose Luis Chilavert, made three reflex
saves over the next six minutes to keep the score 1-1. He pushed Sunday
Oliseh's 25-yard blast just wide of the post, slapped away a fierce header
by Taribo West and then got a leg on a 15-yard shot from Rasheed
Yekini.
But that was about all from Nigeria.
Paraguay came out strong after the interval, earning four corner kicks
in as many minutes and threatening to regain the lead in the 51st, when
Hugo Brizuela's shot from the edge of the penalty area was pushed aside by
an outstretched Rufai at the base of the post. Two minutes later, defender
Ben Iroha cleared a loose ball off Rufai's line.
Nigeria was on its heels, responding only in the 57th, when Yekini's
weak chance was scooped up by Chilavert.
Paraguay's pressure paid off in the 59th, when Benitez took a pass from
Carlos Paredes, moved atop the penalty area and fired a strong shot that
skimmed off Rufai's fingertips and the underside of the crossbar on its way
into the net.
"After a difficult first half, we increased the rhythm," Carpeggiani
said. "We showed tonight we are a team with a lot of strength and will. We
are dynamic."
The Paraguayans could have made it 3-1 in the 74th, when Rufai ran out
of his area and lost the ball as he tried to dribble around Jose Cardozo.
The ball ran to Brizuela who had two defenders to beat but shot well wide
of the net.
But the Paraguayans made sure five minutes from the end when Cardozo
was left unmarked close to the Nigerian goal and spun to fire an angled
shot inside the far post.
Coach Boris Milutinovic defended his decision to rest the bulk of his
starting 11. "We had problems with yellow cards and some injuries," said
the Yugoslav, the first coach to take four different countries to the
second round. "We needed to protect some players."
Daniel Amokachi aggravated a twisted right knee warming up before the
game, while Oliseh left at halftime with a bothersome left ankle.
Lineups
Nigeria: Peter Rufai; Augustine Eguavoen, Ben Iroha, Uche
Okafor, Taribo West; Tijani Babangida, Garba Lawal, Sunday Oliseh (Godwin
Okpara, 46th), Wilson Oruma (Finidi George, 69th); Nwankwo Kanu, Rasheed
Yekini.
Paraguay: Jose Luis Chilavert; Francisco Arce, Celso Ayala,
Denis Caniza (Juan Carlos Yegros, 56th), Carlos Gamarra, Pedro Sarabia;
Miguel Benitez (Roberto Acuna, 68th), Julio Cesar Enciso, Carlos Paredes;
Hugo Brizuela (Aristides Rojas, 79th), Jose Cardozo.
Referee: Pirom Un-Prasert, Thailand.
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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