Paraguay players and team management celebrated with a well-rehearsed song-and-dance routine after the 4-2 win over New Zealand, helped by two goals from substitute striker Anibal Vega. He neutralised two self-goals tumbled in by captain Alexis Duarte, leaving goalkeeper Diego Huesca shell-shocked. Alan Rodriguez had floated in a free-kick two minutes after kick-off. Blas Amoa netted the fourth goal as the winner climbed to the top in Group B, ahead of Mali, New Zealand, Turkey in that order.
Five goals scored by one team, three superb strikes and two own-goals due to anxiety left the South Americans turning to music to release pent-up tension. Later speaking to FIFA.com at the D. Y. Patil stadium, Vega offered an insight into fascinating happenings out there. “It was a tough match,” he said. “At half-time, our coach asked us to keep our composure and get our focus back. When he told me to get ready, he just gave me some simple instructions: ‘Don’t rush things, and play your usual game. Keep calm and use your touches wisely.”
The substitute striker recalled his timely brace. “It was absolutely fantastic to score twice in such a short space of time. I did something similar with Palmeiras’ youth team. I scored the goals in pretty much the same way, but doing it here, at this level, is really quite extraordinary.”
Vega has signed a professional contract with the Brazilian club and he has ambitions of climbing as high as possible up the football ladder.”All players want to improve, technically speaking, so they can contribute to their national team.” When asked about current players he admires, the Paraguayan responded: “Cristiano Ronaldo is my role model. He is a complete player, and the best in the world. I hope I can reach his level one day”
The two-goal hero did not take part in Paraguay’s opening 3-2 victory over Mali and had to wait until the second half of the next game to show what he could do. Now that qualification for the next round has been secured, coach Gustavo Morinigo may well provide him with an extended run in the team. “There’s still a long road ahead of us. We came here to compete. It’s just the first step and we want more. For that, we’ll need to keep working hard to achieve our goals”
