In a very much one sided friendly match played at the Estadio Feliciano Caceres in Luque, Paraguay, the Paraguay National Football Team defeated the Chile National Football Team 2-0.
The hosts took the lead in the 44th minute of the match through Edgar Benitez from the penalty spot. They doubled their lead in the 72nd minute through a strike from Jose Ortigoza, and take the match 2-0 over their South American neighbors.
However, the match never reached the heights that were expected of it considering the fact that both these team did extremely well in the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa as well as in the Copa America of 2011. However, most of the star players for the Chile National Football Team including Mauricio Isla, Alexis Sanchez and Arturo Vidal were not available for the match against the Paraguay National Football Team due to their participation in the respective leagues of their clubs and this prompted them to field a much weakened side compared to that fielded by the hosts.
Although it was never expected that Paraguay would win the match with such ease, they did win the match without having the football that people have to expect of them and with the World Cup Qualifiers coming up in a few weeks’ time, the signs are not too good for the team.
The scenario is such in the South American group that one of the powerhouses will have to miss out of the tournament as Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Chile fight for three spots from the continent with Brazil, being the hosts, already confirmed to play in the tournament. It is worth seeing if the Paraguay National Football Team can overcome the odds to secure a place in the FIFA World Cup 2014 to be played in their own continent.