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World Cup - Paraguay

Paraguay went down by the same 1-0 margin in the second round of the last two FIFA World Cups™, losing first to eventual champions France and then to eventual runner-ups Germany.

At France 98, it took a golden goal from Laurent Blanc to deny them, while four years later Germany's Oliver Neuville did the damage with two minutes left on the clock. Unfortunately for the South Americans, their opponents went on to greater things while they went home empty-handed with just a measure of respect and a growing international standing as consolation. Having booked their place at Germany 2006, the Albirroja are out to make up for their previous disappointments and prove once and for all that they are a force to be reckoned with in world football.

Although Paraguay only made sure of their third consecutive appearance at the FIFA World Cup on 8 October 2005 in Maracaibo, Venezuela, those in the know never doubted their ability to make it through. Despite suffering a heavy 4-1 defeat against Peru in their opening game, Anibal Ruiz's side wasted no time in bouncing back and proving their worth with a series of big wins, both in Asuncion and away from home. On the downside, they were guilty of a lack of consistency in their performances, a failing that proved hard to bear for many fans, who voiced their frustration during the 1-0 home defeat by Colombia in their final qualifier.

A total of 28 points was two fewer than in their previous campaign, but enough to see them repeat their fourth-placed finish of 2001 behind the same three teams who led the way four years ago, Brazil, Argentina and Ecuador. The final standings showed eight wins, four draws and six defeats, with 23 goals for and the same number against. The highlights included a 1-0 victory over Argentina on 3 September 2005, which was their first ever qualifying win over the Albicelestes. Comprehensive defeats at the hands of Peru (4-1), Ecuador (5-2) and Brazil (4-1) were without doubt the low points.

Read more at: FIFA World Cup - Yahoo!