By Belize Live News Staff: France are through to the next round of the World Cup, but they will know just how close they came to disaster. The tournament favourites could barely find a way past a stubborn Paraguay side, scraping to a narrow 1-0 win in a game that could easily have gone the other way.
For a team that has been swatting opponents aside all tournament, it was a humbling afternoon. France had racked up big wins throughout the competition, but against Paraguay, the goals simply would not come. In the end, it took a single strike to separate the two sides and spare France’s blushes. Had that one goal not gone in, France may well have suffered the same fate as Germany.
And that is what makes this result so telling. Paraguay are no ordinary underdog. In the previous round, they pulled off one of the shocks of the tournament, knocking out mighty Germany. The Germans battered them, dominating possession and peppering the goal with shots, yet Paraguay dug in, forced a 1-1 draw, and held their nerve to win the penalty shootout and send a footballing giant packing.
So when France laboured to a slender victory over the same opponents, it was a reminder of just how dangerous this Paraguay team has become. Organised, gritty, and fearless, they made life miserable for one of the pre-tournament favourites, and came within a whisker of another famous upset.
For football fans in Belize, it was the kind of nervy, edge-of-your-seat contest that the World Cup does best. France may have the star names and the reputation, but Paraguay showed that heart and determination can trouble anyone.
France will be relieved to march on, but they will need to be far sharper if they are to go all the way. As for Paraguay, they can hold their heads high after a campaign that saw them topple Germany and push France to the very limit.
Were France lucky to survive, Belize? And how far can this Paraguay side go? Comment below.
