MUNDIAL·26

First Stage · Group D · Friday, June 26 · San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, San Francisco Bay Area · 68,827 in the stands

kickoff 19:00 local · 17°C · 75% humidity

Paraguay

0:0

Australia

tap a player for their match file

Paraguay5-3-2
Australia3-4-2-1
Orlando GILL7.6Gustavo VELAZQUEZ6.9Omar ALDERETE7.2Juan Jose CACERES6.5Gustavo GOMEZ7.0Alexandro MAIDANA6.7Diego GOMEZ6.7Andres CUBAS7.1Matias GALARZA6.5Julio ENCISO6.2Gabriel AVALOS6.3Patrick BEACH7.4Alessandro CIRCATI6.8Jordan BOS7.3Aziz BEHICH6.5Harry SOUTTAR7.1Lucas HERRINGTON7.0Connor METCALFE6.7Aiden ONEILL6.9Jackson IRVINE6.7Nestory IRANKUNDA6.5Cristian VOLPATO7.1
from the bench

match pulse — xG per 5 minutes · goals · cards

45′90′PARAUS

goals — hover the strip for every shot and card, with names

  • quiet five minutes — nothing on record
PAR 0:0 AUS0'kickoff
4' Irvine — xG 0.06 · Saved10' O'Neill — xG 0.02 · Missed23' Metcalfe — xG 0.02 · Blocked36' Bos — xG 0.02 · Saved38' Avalos — xG 0.05 · Missed46' Caceres — xG 0.00 · Missed45 + 2' Volpato — xG 0.02 · Saved45 + 3' Irvine — xG 0.09 · Missed48' Cubas — xG 0.02 · Missed50' Mauricio — xG 0.04 · Saved59' Irankunda — xG 0.05 · Missed60' Irankunda — xG 0.01 · Blocked61' Hrustic — xG 0.04 · Blocked82' Enciso — xG 0.02 · Blocked82' Enciso — xG 0.04 · Missed83' Bos — xG 0.09 · Saved90' Bos — xG 0.06 · Missed90 + 3' Mauricio — xG 0.07 · Saved90 + 3' Yengi — xG 0.07 · Saved

▶ Watch every shot in 3D⟲ Replay the match

The xG race — cumulative expected goals, minute by minute

PAR 0:0 AUS
0.50′15′30′45′60′75′90′0.240.55

On paper vs as played — formation sheet vs heatmap reality

PAR 5-3-2 attack →, ← AUS 3-4-2-1 attack. The teamsheet, as announced.

12Orlando GILLOrlando GILL2Gustavo VELAZQUEZGustavo VELAZQUEZ3Omar ALDERETEOmar ALDERETE4Juan Jose CACERESJuan Jose CACERES15Gustavo GOMEZGustavo GOMEZ26Alexandro MAIDANAAlexandro MAIDANA8Diego GOMEZDiego GOMEZ14Andres CUBASAndres CUBAS23Matias GALARZAMatias GALARZA19Julio ENCISOJulio ENCISO21Gabriel AVALOSGabriel AVALOS18Patrick BEACHPatrick BEACH3Alessandro CIRCATIAlessandro CIRCATI5Jordan BOSJordan BOS16Aziz BEHICHAziz BEHICH19Harry SOUTTARHarry SOUTTAR25Lucas HERRINGTONLucas HERRINGTON8Connor METCALFEConnor METCALFE13Aiden ONEILLAiden ONEILL22Jackson IRVINEJackson IRVINE17Nestory IRANKUNDANestory IRANKUNDA20Cristian VOLPATOCristian VOLPATO

The duel — team data, FIFA tracking included

42%
Possession
46%
0.29
Expected goals
0.70
51
Threat
49
7
Shots
12
2
On target
5
345
Passes completed
446
51
Forced turnovers
43
12.4s
Ball recovery time
13.1s
5.5
High-press phases
3.64
6
Fouls committed
9
0
Offsides
0
113 km
Distance covered
116 km
32.7 km/h
Top speed
35.1 km/h

Territory — where each team lived

Every player's heatmap, minutes-weighted and stacked per team. Paraguay attack →, ← Australia attack. Brighter is more presence; where the colors meet is the contested ground.

How it happened

  1. ′Before the second half begins MAURICIO (in) comes off the bench to replace Alexandro MAIDANA (out) (Paraguay)
  2. 46′Jackson IRVINE (Australia) is booked by the referee.
  3. 58′Ajdin HRUSTIC (in) comes off the bench to replace Cristian VOLPATO (out) (Australia)
  4. 67′Alex ARCE (in) comes off the bench to replace Gabriel AVALOS (out) (Paraguay)
  5. 77′Diego GOMEZ (Paraguay) is booked by the referee.
  6. 84′Jose CANALE (in) comes off the bench to replace Omar ALDERETE (out) (Paraguay)
  7. 84′Paul OKON-ENGSTLER (in) comes off the bench to replace Jackson IRVINE (out) (Australia)
  8. 84′Tete YENGI (in) comes off the bench to replace Nestory IRANKUNDA (out) (Australia)
  9. 90+2′Junior ALONSO (in) comes off the bench to replace Matias GALARZA (out) (Paraguay)
  10. 90+2′Damian BOBADILLA (in) comes off the bench to replace Diego GOMEZ (out) (Paraguay)

The morning-after column · AI-written from the match data

Australia Dominates but Fails to Finish in San Francisco

Australia arrived in San Francisco with the clearer attacking intent, controlling 46% possession against Paraguay's 42% in a match shaped by the South Americans' defensive 5-3-2 formation. The Australians drew 12 shots, five on target, while Paraguay compressed space and limited their output to two shots on target. By full time, Australia's superior intent and press phases (3.6 to Paraguay's 5.5) had established clear dominance.

Yet the numbers that mattered most told a different story. Australia's expected goals of 0.7 to Paraguay's 0.29 underlined their superiority, but clinical finishing never arrived. Patrick Beach (7.4) orchestrated the Australian attack, but Orlando Gill (7.6) and Omar Alderete (7.2) marshalled an immovable defence, recovering the ball in 12.4 seconds. Paraguay's defensive discipline—forcing 51 turnovers—held firm, and a goalless draw proved an unlikely but deserved point for the underdogs.

Australia's expected goals (0.7) were 2.4 times Paraguay's, yet both teams left San Francisco with nothing to separate them.

75′

Australia pressed frantically in the final phase, but Paraguay's defensive block held firm to secure the stalemate.

What Paraguay needed

Defensive masterclass, but counter-attacking threat remains underdeveloped.

  • Orlando Gill (7.6) anchored the defence; leveraging the 51 forced turnovers for direct counter-attacks would have changed the narrative.
  • Expected goals of 0.29 reflects minimal threat; more direct play through Cubas (7.1) off turnovers could have punished the press.
  • Ball recovery in 12.4 seconds allowed defensive control; converting that possession into dangerous transitions would have stolen the game.

What Australia needed

Controlled the game, but conversion is sport's cruel equation.

  • Twelve shots with five on target: clinical finishing from Beach (7.4) would have won this decisively.
  • Expected goals of 0.7 to Paraguay's 0.29—twice as much—yet the ball refused to find the net when it mattered most.
  • Possession (46%) and passing accuracy gave them control; breaking down the 5-3-2 required more incision, not more lateral movement.