Paraguay 1-1 Italy
I think that this result shows why, if you are an Englishman desperate for World Cup success, you shouldn't panic too much about the draw with he USA. The fact is, Italy always seem to start like this and their World Cup record isn't too shabby is it?
This was an absorbing contest. There may have been very little blood and guts and very little cut and thrust for that matter, but it had me hooked from start to finish - well except for the bits when I was filling the dishwasher! Paraguay scored about 5 minutes short of half time and it was a fantastic delivery from a free kick by Aureliano Torres which allowed Antolin Alcaraz to rise highest and head the ball home. It was maybe tough on Italy, but although they had dominated possession, they hadn't really hurt the South Americans.
Italy restarted with Gianluigi Buffon being replaced by Federico Marchetti in the Italian goal. The formula of the first half was pretty much repeated until 63 minutes when a corner from the left cause all sorts of trouble for the Paraguayan goalkeeper and captain Villar, who comes out flying like Superman (thanks Mick McCarthy) but totally misses the ball which drops to allow Daniele De Rossi to slide the ball home from a matter of inches. The rest was all Italy - it was as if the goal had drained all confidence from Paraguay. However, for all the pressing from Italy the Paraguayans managed to hold on for a useful point.
