Spain-Paraguay: Confirmation or killoys

18.06.98 17h54 CET

SPAIN: confirmation expected.

 

SPAIN is one of the five teams to be playing in their fifth consecutive World Cup. After a virtually fault free qualification (8 wins, 2 draws), the Iberian team now has the chance for World Cup glory (best result: fourth in 1950 in BRAZIL). This lack of success for the "aficionados" in the World Cup poorly reflects the ability of this team that is amongst the 15 best in the World. The country has some excellent clubs that dominate the European cups (e.g. Real Madrid hold the record for most wins in the Champions League with 7 victories). In this 16^th World Cup, the Spanish are capable of doing well. Many of the team were Olympic champions in 1992, and there is some rare talent such as RAUL (20 years old and already with more than 50 goals in the Spanish division 1) and also the veteran goalkeeper Andoni ZUBIZARRETA, competing in his fourth World Cup.

Since he took on the job in 1992, Basque coach JAVIER CLEMENTE's men, who have only lost 3 out of their last 54 games, are thirsty for victory. They'll make this clear when they meet the Paraguayans on Friday 19 June at the stade Geoffroy-Guichard in SAINT-ETIENNE, despite blundering their first match against NIGERIA

 

PARAGUAY: killjoys.

 

PARAGUAY is amongst all the teams qualified for France 98, the country with the poorest means in footballing terms. Nevertheless, this team which has only been three times to the World Cup (1950, 958 and 1986) has managed to place itself within the thirty best teams in the world. Proof that they can do well: in qualifying rounds, they finished second in the AMSUD zone behind ARGENTINA, but in front of COLOMBIA and … CHILE! For France 98, PARAGUAY, affiliated to FIFA since only 1921 is an outsider but could well cause some trouble and why not, qualify for the second round. Something that is not impossible given their relatively positive result in the first match against BULGARIA (0-0), semi-finalist in the USA World Cup of 1994.

Between SPAIN, who absolutely have to recover after their first failure against NIGERIA (2-3) and PARAGUAY, who still have every chance of qualifying, the spectacle will be in their meeting. This is all the more so as the result between two teams will have heavy consequences on group placements…tickets home for the loser.