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Key events
51 mins: This is a much more assertive Paraguay early in the second half. Australia need to be careful not to get caught out in transition with so much of the play in dispute either side of halfway.
50 mins: Paraguay win the turnover in midfield and Mauricio can break at speed. He travels 15m unopposed before striking a decent effort from range but it’s straight at Beach.
49 mins: Irankunda battles for possession in the Paraguay box and goes down under pressure, but the referee isn’t interested. Bos then wants a free-kick for being bodychecked off the ball running to accept the one-two with Volpato but Turpin again declines Australia’s appeals.
48 mins: Herrington’s clearance lacks conviction inviting Cubas to strike one first time from outside the box but his effort is way off target.
47 mins: Irvine is the first player in the book for a late challenge on Enciso on halfway. It wasn’t a great challenge, but given the field position and some of what Caceres got away with in the first half the Australian veteran can count himself a little unlucky.
46 mins: One change at the break with the more attack-minded Mauricio replacing Maidana.
The teams are making their way out for the second half. Levi’s Stadium is now in full evening mode with the pitch in total shadow and the floodlights taking effect.
Just a reminder that 0-0 suits both teams. As things stand Australia will finish second in Group D, Paraguay third, and both will progress to the round of 32.
Socceroos assistant Paul Okon has just spoken to the host broadcaster. He expressed his surprise at Paraguay shifting from a back four to a back five and how that has allowed his team an extra man in midfield which is where Volpato is getting joy on the right. “More of the same,” is his message for the second half.
Elsewhere in the group Turkey B are leading USA B 2-1.
While I freshen up, here’s some half-time reading to tide you over.
Half-time: Paraguay 0-0 Australia
The Socceroos are the better side but it remains goalless at half-time in Santa Clara.
45+3 mins: Bos and Volpato are dominating down the right. Again they connect to engineer space and from their interplay the wingback chips the ball over for Irvine to attack but he can’t get enough purchase on his header and Gill’s goal is never in threat.
45+2 mins: Gill with another regulation save following more good work down the right between the marauding Bos and his partner in crime Volpato. This time it’s the Sassuolo man who cuts inside and curls left footed straight at the keeepr.
45 mins: Six minutes of stoppage time to be played at the end of the half.
44 mins: Circati and then Herrington both escape errors in their defensive third, the latter showing great composure under pressure form Enciso. Caceres then gets away with another foul that Turpin does not deem worthy of a yellow card.
42 mins: Paraguay get a chance to slow the game down again and take it with relish. In possession their plan is to get the ball out to Enciso on the left as quickly as possible, but Bos and Circati are denying the Strasbourg man any time and space in which to operate.
40 mins: Souttar almost frees Behich on the left with a magnificent long diagonal. Just a fraction overhit.
38 mins: Regular broadcasting has resumed after that brief spell of Paraguay possession following the hydration break and Metcalfe’s head injury. Australia look tidy in possession, dangerous down the right, and alert in defence.
37 mins: Almost another decent shooting opportunity from that same combination with Australia winning the ball in midfield and transitioning forward at speed. Irvine is waiting for the offload but it never arrives and Paraguay get bodies around the contest and clear.
36 mins: Bos draws a save from Gill after excellent interplay down the right again involving Volpato. The shot was on an angle cutting infield from just outside the box. Decent hit but Gill never had to move.
35 mins: The free-kick is played short infield and O’Neill slides a long shallow ball into the box which soars harmlessly behind. Another wasted set-piece.
34 mins: Caceres leaves his foot in again and Australia have a crossing opportunity on the left.
32 mins: Circati, Irvine, and Bos do well to ping the ball around in defence like a training ground rondo and free Irankunda. The forward is isolated and Paraguay regroup.
30 mins: Paraguay are looking for free-kicks whenever they are beaten in the air but Turpin ignores their latest claims. However, they are growing into this contest, benefiting from the trademark change of momentum following the hydration break.
28 mins: There’s a bit of claret for the Australian cornerman to clean up. Metcalfe is eventually back on his feet, invited to change into a shirt not streaked with blood, and furnished with a thick black bandage around his forehead like a Novocastrian Rambo.
26 mins: There has been a trend in the World Cup whereby the team lacking momentum heading into the hydration break gains a foothold after a quick chat with their coach. Australia will hope that is not the case today after they had the better of the opening quarter. There’s another break after the drinks break for Metcalfe to be repaired after he is caught by a stray boot to the face.
24 mins: “The set pieces are infuriating,” observes Chris Paraskevas correctly. “Every time we waste one it simply hands initiative and a huge psychologcal advantage to the opposition. Perhaps it’s time to mix it up by playing one short or to the edge of the box. It doesn’t have to go straight onto Souttar’s head. Or just clear the first man.”
It really is unforgivable at this level, especially considering the importance of set pieces in the modern game, Souttar’s aerial dominance, and the limits of Australia’s threat from open play.
23 mins: Advert time. A very satisfactory opening quarter for Australia who look the better of the two teams, without creating more than the one half-chance for Irvine.
22 mins: Herrington alongside him also looks very good. At 18 he is Australia’s youngest ever starter at a World Cup. He recycles possession after Metcalfe has a pop from long range blocked off the boot.
21 mins: Cheers erupt around Levi’s Stadium as Circati hassles Enciso into taking the ball out for a throw on the left. The young Australian defender is very good.
20 mins: Everything good for Australia is coming down the right where Volpato and Bos are dovetailing beautifully. The latter overlaps and whips a cross over that is begging for a predatory No 9 to hammer home but none is forthcoming. O’Neill follows up and earns a corner, but the third delivery from the right of the night is garbage and headed clear at the near post. Metcalfe’s set pieces were poor earlier in the tournament, now Volpato is making a mess of things.
19 mins: Caceres is then fortunate not to be booked after he left the ground with both feet and never looked like winning the ball.
18 mins: A few Paraguayans have gone down theatrically already. The latest is Diego Gomez, who went down clutching his face after being comprehensively beaten in the air by Herrington. Turpin succumbs to the tactic and play grinds to a halt.
16 mins: This match is still being played at a decent tempo, partly because both sides are set up to counterattack. Whenever the ball is in dispute in midfield it’s being shifted forward early with neither side looking to just sit in possession.
14 mins: Enciso is the man Paraguay are keen to get on the ball. He is drifting wide on the left and looking to take the first pass from his back five. Bos is tracking those runs like a man marker. The Australian’s stationing on the right is probably related to that duel, Popovic keen to match Enciso’s daring with Bos’s speed.
12 mins: Volpato has been lively early, running with the ball at every opportunity, taking the game on. Paraguay have plenty of defenders on the field but structurally they don’t look impenetrable with gaps opening between the lines.
10 mins: While this match is still settling down and transitional it’s a decent watch. However, there is a long diagonal shadow across the Santa Clara pitch reminiscent of David Bowie’s lightning bolt on the cover of Aladdin Sane, which isn’t ideal for the contrast settings on the host broadcaster with bright sunshine in some quadrants and dark shadows in others.
9 mins: It’s another poor delivery, too deep and floaty, and Souttar is crowded out.
8 mins: Beach hurls the ball downfield to Irankunda quickly allowing the youngest Australian World Cup goalscorer the opportunity to stretch his legs. Paraguay get men behind the ball and the Socceroos recycle possession, passing the ball from side to side, patiently waiting for Paraguay to leave a gap to exploit. Bos thinks there’s one such on the right wing and darts around the outside to win a corner.
6 mins: A couple of turnovers in midfield offer opportunities for both teams. Volpato takes a heavy touch for Australia and is robbed, then Bos drags back Enciso to allow Paraguay a free-kick from deep that each deals with confidently. Paraguay are in a 5-3-2 set-up and happy to drop deep as soon as Australia take possession. They are clearly motivated by avoiding defeat.
4 mins: Irvine with a fierce drive on the angle forces a save from Gill. Good lead-up play from Circati then Volpato on the right. Nothing fancy about it, just crisp passing and movement. The resulting corner, as so many have been for the Socceroos this World Cup, is poor, and doesn’t beat the first defender. Two metre Souttar jogs back forlornly.
2 mins: With the ball in dispute both teams try to assert their physicality early. Neither side has had time and space on the ball yet to establish any attacking patterns. Australia are set up in more of a 5-2-3 formation with Metcalfe pushing up on the left with Volpato on the right. In defence Bos starts on the right with Behich on the left.
Kick-off!
The final 90 minutes of Group D are under way…
The anthems are sung with gusto, the crowd is full of expectant supporters, all that remains is the football.
The two besuited coaches embrace on the touchline like they’re meeting at an Italian American wedding. Alfaro, the senior, silver hair swept back; Popovic, the junior, black shirt and tie to go with his black suit, eliminating the possibility of underarm sweat patches.
Out stride the two sides into the Californian sunshine. Paraguay, ranked 37th in the world, are in their traditional red and white stripes with red and white trim. Australia, ranked 26th in the world, are in gold jerseys, green shorts, white socks.
The two sides are in the tunnel ready for combat. The knockout stage is within touching distance.
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