Gustavo Alfaro appeared at a press conference after Paraguay’s 4-1 defeat against the United States in the Albirroja’s debut in the 2026 World Cup and bluntly recognized the host’s superiority. The Argentine coach stated that his team was surpassed in all aspects of the game and admitted that he will have to correct several errors for the next matches.
“The United States won the match with absolute fairness and clarity. They surpassed us on the tactical level, on the technical level and on the physical level as well. There are a lot of details that we have to adjust,” stated the Paraguayan coach when analyzing what happened in Los Angeles.
Alfaro also lamented the impact that some specific moments of the match had, especially the own goal that opened the scoring and the third American goal before halftime. As he explained, those goals affected the team emotionally when they tried to stay in the game and reorganize for the second half.
“At halftime we tried to accommodate the scores and adjust. We had the chance to go 3-1 and the shame was that when there were 7 minutes of stoppage time they ended up scoring the fourth goal”said the coach, when describing Paraguay’s attempts to react during the complement.
Despite the defeat in the debut, Gustavo Alfaro assured that Paraguay maintains its chances of advancing to the next round intact. The coach asked the team to accept the result with maturity and work during the week to correct the errors detected against the United States.
“I have no doubt that we are going to fight to qualify,” stated the coach, who also sent a message of confidence to his players. “Today the World Cup started, the World Cup didn’t end today. And we are going to fight until the end”he sentenced.
Paraguay against Türkiye and Australia
Paraguay will return to activity with two decisive matches against Turkey and Australia, matches that will mark a good part of its aspirations in Group D. Both matches will be played at the San Francisco Bay Stadium, located a few kilometers from the Paraguayan delegation’s concentration location.
Although the premiere ended with a tough defeat, Alfaro insisted that qualification is still possible. “We have to be rational and know that there are two games left and that we have to continue fighting. We will fight until the end,” stated the coach, who appealed to the competitive spirit that has historically characterized the Albirroja.