CAIRO: As fans were leaving the stadium unsatisfied with the draw, Aldo Paniagua used Cesar Benitez header and fired Paraguay second goal at the last minute of the game for the shock of Egypt’s players and fans.
Ten-man Paraguay, with a substituted captain, beat Egypt 2-1in Cairo Stadium, with 57,000 fans cheering for the national team.
We have trained at least once a week on playing nine players to eleven by sacrificing two strikers and depending on midfield players to form attacks, so my players were well prepared for such a situation, Adrian Coria, Paraguay team s coach, told reporters after the game.
The match started with an attacking frenzy from the home side as Mohamed Talaat shot wide under pressure from Paraguayan defense, while Hossam Arafat s header in the ninth minute lost its way to the goal.
Egypt started with Talaat as lone striker supported by Arafat and Mostafa “Afroto Mahmoud from Midfield in case of attack.
Paraguay then began to take control of the game and pushed the Egyptian team to the midfield. Talaat failed to use Shehab Ahmed s long range shot deflected from goalkeeper Joel Silva.
In the 27th minute, Paraguay scored the first goal of the game through Federico Santander from an organized attack.
Following the goal, Egyptians rushed to change the score; Talaat got a long ball in a one-on-one with the goalkeeper only to find Ronald Huth tackling him from behind earning a red card.
Afroto modified the score in favor of the home team through a perfectly executed free kick to spur fans enthusiasm once more.
Adding insult to injury, Paraguay s goalkeeper and team captain Joel Silva had to be substituted for injury and was replaced by Gerardo Ortiz.
Egypt started with Talaat as a lone striker supported by Arafat and Mostafa “Afroto Mahmoud from Midfield in case of attack.
Paraguay then began to take control of the game and pushed the Egyptian team to the midfield. Talaat failed to use Shehab Ahmed’s long range shot deflected from goalkeeper Joel Silva.
In the 27th minute, Paraguay scored the first goal of the game through Federico Santander from an organized attack.
Following the goal, Egyptians rushed to change the score; Talaat got a long ball in a one-on-one with the goalkeeper only to find Ronald Huth tackling him from behind earning a red card.
Afroto modified the score in favor of the home team through a perfectly executed free kick to spur fans’ enthusiasm once more.
Adding insult to injury, Paraguay’s goalkeeper and team captain Joel Silva had to be substituted for injury and was replaced by Gerardo Ortiz.
While Egypt counted on long balls to Talaat and long range shots from Arafat, Afroto and Shehab Ahmed, Paraguay stayed in defense; however, they were lethal in counter attacks and had a couple of real scoring chances beside the goal.
Having conceded a red card followed by the equalization goal, the morals of Paraguay’s team were down, or so thought Egyptian players.
Paraguay unexpectedly started the second half with continued pressure and controlling midfield, wasting a chance after another; on the opposite side Egypt’s players lost their rhythm and individual play replaced team work.
Despite substitutions by Egypt team coach Miroslav Soukup, fielding Mostafa Galal, Hossam Hassan and taking out Mahmoud Touba, and Ahmed Magdy, the Egyptian team failed to restore its grip on the game.
Galal’s land cross was bizarrely missed by Talaat to Find Afroto who fired it at the side of the net. Egyptian defenders, Islam Ramadan, Salah Solieman and Saad Eldin Saad, replacing injured Ahmed Hegazy, continued to commit defensive errors.
While both teams were waiting for the referee’s whistle, a free kick for Paraguay dealt with carelessly by Egyptian defense found Paniagua snatching the three points for Paraguay securing their qualification to the round of 16.
“This goal summed up our bad performance throughout the game and I was expecting it, Soukop said.
“I warned the players between the two halves not to undermine Paraguay’s chances after the red card but we lost control in the second half and the players seemed to have forgotten what to do and how to play, he added.
“It was a highly emotional and technical game, but we are a team that never refuse to play and only aims for victory, Coria said.
Egypt will have to achieve a victory Thursday over Italy who earned their fourth point after beating Trinidad & Tobago 2-1.
Both teams will battle for the three points to secure qualification waiting for a Trinidadian surprise result against Paraguay in hopes of topping the group and staying in Cairo.
In Group B matches, Spain and Venezuela qualified to the next round after beating Nigeria and Tahiti 2-0 and 8-0 respectively in Al Salam Stadium.
Nigeria, tipped favorites to win the tournament, will have to score as many goals as possible against humble Tahiti to compete for one of four seats awarded to third place teams.
Today s Schedule
Group E
Australia vs. Costa Rica – Port Said Stadium, Portsaid (16:00 CLT)Brazil vs. Czech Republic – Port Said Stadium, Portsaid (18:45 CLT)
Group F
Hungary vs. South Africa – Alexandria stadium, Alexandria (18:45 CLT)UAE vs. Honduras – Alexandria Stadium, Alexandria (21:30 CLT)
