Paraguay exit the World Cup with a record nobody wants: nearly half of all passes missed
La Albirroja lost to France 1–0 in the round of 16 and leave the tournament with the two worst pass-error rates in World Cup history, according to Opta.
Getting knocked out of the World Cup hurts. Getting knocked out with the worst pass-error rate in the tournament's history hurts even more.
Paraguay lost to France 1–0 in the round of 16 and went home carrying a negative record — twice over. According to Opta data collected since 1966, La Albirroja posted the two highest pass-error rates in World Cup history across two matches at this edition: 46.1% against Turkey and 45.9% against the French.
It is no coincidence. In both cases, the low defensive block was the tactical choice. Against France, the quality of the opposition pushed Paraguay back from the opening whistle. Against Turkey, Almirón's red card — under the so-called "Vini Jr. rule" — turned the match into a survival exercise. Less possession, fewer passes, more errors.
Yet that same defensive posture produced a number that impresses on the positive side: 26.4 tackles per game on average, also per Opta. That is the highest figure by any team at a World Cup since the 2006 Argentina side, who recorded the same number.
The overall campaign was not a disgrace. Paraguay were hammered 4–1 by the United States in their opener, but bounced back, beat Turkey 1–0, drew with Australia and advanced from the group stage. They fell to a France side that, according to the Golmetria model, has a 13.8% chance of lifting the trophy — one of the genuine title contenders.
Paraguay played to the best of their ability. The problem is that "the best of their ability" meant misplacing nearly one in every two passes. And that, history will not forget.