“Kaku stepped up to convert from the penalty spot after an early yellow card foul gave Paraguay the chance to break the deadlock.”
Pivotal“Miguel Almirón scored just before the break to double Paraguay's advantage, ensuring the second half would be a formality.”
Pivotal“Paraguay made nine substitutions at half-time, turning the second half into a trial run for fringe players without losing any momentum.”
“Substitute Matías Galarza Fonda made an immediate impact, scoring within minutes of coming on to extend Paraguay's lead to three.”
Paraguay
Nicaragua
Outstanding performance
Nicaragua•GoalkeeperParaguay dismantled Nicaragua with ruthless efficiency in this World Cup warm-up friendly, running out comfortable 4-0 winners in a match that was over as a contest well before the hour mark. The Paraguayans were clinical from the off, earning and converting a penalty through Kaku in the 17th minute after Joab Gutiérrez had already been carded, before Almirón's composed finish just before half-time put the result beyond doubt. The statistics tell a remarkable story — despite Paraguay registering 25 shots, 15 on target and 14 corners, Nicaragua managed zero efforts at goal across ninety minutes, underlining the gulf between the two sides. The half-time changes were wholesale, with nine substitutions made at the break, yet Paraguay barely broke stride, with Matías Galarza Fonda and Alexandro Maidana — both introduced at the interval — each finding the net within the space of three second-half minutes to add gloss to an already emphatic scoreline. For Nicaragua, this was a chastening evening that exposed serious structural vulnerabilities ahead of a challenging international calendar.
How entertaining was this match?
Paraguay host Nicaragua in a friendly international at the Estadio Defensores del Chaco, with the Albirroja heavy favorites to extend their impressive home record. The class gap between the two sides is stark, with Paraguay boasting far superior squad depth and a 2-0 win the last time these sides met in 2023.
