With the friendly match against Japan, the Paraguayan team inaugurates a new era, with the ultimate goal of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, which will be jointly organized by the US, Canada and Mexico.
The match will be played this Thursday from 06:00 at the Domo Stadium located in the city of Sapporo.
In the previous antecedents, the Albirroja is down against Japan, since they faced each other 10 times and the Japanese won 4 games against 2 of the Paraguayans, also 4 draws were recorded.
The history records only 2 official matches between Paraguay and Japan. The first of them was played in Asunción, during the Copa América disputed in 1999 and the Albirroja won, 4-0, with goals from Miguel Benítez and Roque Santa Cruz, both on 2 occasions.
The second official confrontation was in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, in the round of 16, when it ended tied without opening the score, achieving the Albirroja, in the penalty shootout (5-3), the historic first classification to the quarterfinals end of an ecumenical competition.
The other 8 matches were scrimmages, in some cases only friendly and in others, like this time, the Kirin Cup was at stake.
Paraguay’s last victory against Japan was 23 years ago, in the aforementioned Copa América in 1999. The other Guarani victory against the Asians was in the first friendly played between the two teams, played in 1995, in the city of Tokyo and the match ended 2-1, with goals from Néstor Isasi and Virgilio Ferreira.
A new cycle of the Paraguayan team begins, but with almost all the old interpreters of the failed attempt to attend the 2022 Qatar World Cup (coach, managers and players).
Will they get revenge?
