Enciso got to ‌his ⁠feet gingerly after contact with the ⁠board but played out the remainder of the game. | Photo Credit: REUTERS

Paraguay coach Gustavo Alfaro said officials should reassess the ​placement of pitch-side advertising boards at the World ‌Cup after attacker Julio Enciso crashed ​into one behind the Australia goal ⁠during their 0-0 draw on Thursday.

Enciso came off second best as he fought for the ‌ball with Australia defender Alessandro Circati in the second half at San ‌Francisco Bay Area Stadium.

Enciso got to ‌his ⁠feet gingerly after contact with the ⁠board but played out the remainder of the game.

“I think that maybe if there was more space ​that will be good ‌because of course there’s a lot of intensity when we are playing, and sometimes if a player gets destabilised, he could ‌fall and get injured and these ​things can happen,” Alfaro told the post-match press conference. “So, maybe we have ⁠to think about that and reassess.”

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The result left Paraguay third behind Group D winners ‌the United States and second-placed Australia, both of whom have reached the last 32. Paraguay must wait for other results in the group phase to know whether it will advance as one of the eight ‌best third-placed teams.

Alfaro said he was very ​optimistic Paraguay would continue at the tournament and praised his players for how ⁠they had reacted after their 4-1 opening defeat ⁠by the United States. “Recovering from such a hard result was really hard ‌for us, and in spite of that, our team has been very solid in ​the past two games.”

Published on Jun 26, 2026