Paraguay coach Gustavo Alfaro said officials should reassess the placement of pitchside billboards at the World Cup after forward Julio Enciso crashed into an Australia goal during Thursday’s 0-0 draw.
Enciso came in second as he battled for the ball with Australian defender Alessandro Circati in the second half at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium.
Enciso gingerly got to his feet after contact with the backboard, but played out the rest of the game.
“I think it might be good if there was more space because of course there is a lot of intensity when we play, and sometimes if a player gets destabilized he can fall and get injured and these things can happen,” Alfaro told the post-match press conference. “So maybe we need to think about that and reassess.”
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The result moved Paraguay into third place behind Group D winners the United States and second-placed Australia, both of whom have reached the last 32. Paraguay will have to wait for other results in the group stage to know if it will advance as one of the top eight third-placed teams.
Alfaro said he was very optimistic that Paraguay would progress in the tournament and praised his players for the way they had responded after their opening 4-1 defeat to the United States. “Recovering from such a tough result was very difficult for us, and despite that, our team has been very solid in the last two games.”
Published on June 26, 2026
