2002 FIFA World Cup (tm) Finals - Results & Fixtures - Paraguay vs South Africa

2 Jun 2002


Paraguay	2 - 2	South Africa
	(HT: 1 - 0)

Game Details
Venue Busan Asiad Main Stadium	Attendance 25186
Referee Lubos Michel (SVK) Assistant Referees Igor Sramka (SVK) Curtis Charles (ATG)

Game Events
#	Date	Player	Event	Period	Mins	H/A
1	2 Jun 2002	Aaron Mokoena	Yellow Card	First Half	3	A
2	2 Jun 2002	Pierre Issa	Yellow Card	First Half	9	A
3	2 Jun 2002	Pierre Issa	Player Out	First Half	27	A
4	2 Jun 2002	MacDonald Mukansi	Substitute In	First Half	27	A
5	2 Jun 2002	Julio Cesar Caceres	Yellow Card	First Half	35	H
6	2 Jun 2002	Benedict McCarthy	Yellow Card	First Half	38	A
7	2 Jun 2002	Roque Santa Cruz	Goal	First Half	39	H
8	2 Jun 2002	Sibusiso Zuma	Yellow Card	First Half	47	A
9	2 Jun 2002	Francisco Arce	Goal	Second Half	10	H
10	2 Jun 2002	Estanislao Struway	Own Goal	Second Half	18	H
11	2 Jun 2002	Denis Ramon Caniza	Yellow Card	Second Half	20	H
12	2 Jun 2002	Guido Alvarenga	Player Out	Second Half	21	H
13	2 Jun 2002	Diego Gavilan	Substitute In	Second Half	21	H
14	2 Jun 2002	Jorge Campos	Player Out	Second Half	27	H
15	2 Jun 2002	Gustavo Morinigo	Substitute In	Second Half	27	H
16	2 Jun 2002	Benedict McCarthy	Player Out	Second Half	33	A
17	2 Jun 2002	George Koumantarakis	Substitute In	Second Half	33	A
18	2 Jun 2002	Estanislao Struway	Player Out	Second Half	41	H
19	2 Jun 2002	Juan Carlos Franco	Substitute In	Second Half	41	H
20	2 Jun 2002	Ricardo Olimpia Tavarelli	Yellow Card	Second Half	45	H
21	2 Jun 2002	Quinton Fortune	Goal (penalty)	Second Half	46	A
22	2 Jun 2002	Juan Carlos Franco	Yellow Card	Second Half	48	H

Match report

South Africa's Quinton Fortune chose a dramatic moment to net his first international goal by smashing home an injury-time penalty to secure a 2-2 draw with Paraguay. Manchester United midfielder Fortune completed a stunning recovery for the 'Bafana Bafana' (The Boys), who had trailed 2-0 with half an hour left to play. But the South Africans stuck to their guns superbly to take a point in their opening Group B game as the 25-year-old buried the first spot-kick of the tournament past Paraguayan keeper Ricardo Tavarelli, who was in for the suspended Jose Luis Chilavert. Tavarelli fouled Sibusiso Zuma, as the striker raced into the area, and Fortune kept his cool to score the penalty.
South African coach Jomo Sono was jubiliant despite seeing his side drop a point. "We knew they were old and would get tired," he said of Paraguay's back four, "so we pressured and pressured and pressured.
"If we had lost it would have been the end of our dream but to come from two goals we're on a high."
His Paraguayan counterpart Cesare Maldini was characteristically taciturn after seeing his side throw away a victory. He refused to be drawn into controversy over the penalty award and one his side were denied earlier in the game.
"I am definitely not disappointed at the result," he said, "even though I was convinced we were going to win."
Maldini dismissed suggestions that things would have been different had Chilavert been between the posts. "Did we miss him today? Absolutely not," was his candid assessment.
He also refused to be drawn on how the group would turn out, saying simply: "I think we are going to see a lot of surprises at this World Cup."
Effervescent striker Roque Santa Cruz and defender Francisco Arce had put Paraguay seemingly on the road to victory by scoring either side of half-time. Bayern Munich striker Santa Cruz turned the South African defence inside out in the opening period and scored with a near post header after 39 minutes from an Arce cross. Ten minutes after the restart the game looked as good as over when Arce smacked home a tremendous freekick from out on the left. South Africa pulled one back six minutes later when Estanislao Struway deflected a low Aaron Mokoena shot past his own keeper and just when it seemed they would be unable to rescue a point Fortune pulled them level. Santa Cruz, still two months short of his 21st birthday, was the star of the first half and after South African keeper Andre Arendse had twice denied him he made no mistake as he nodded home Arce's inviting cross.
The man nicknamed the Golden Boy nearly repeated the feat two minutes later - only for Arendse to save superbly. Arce produced a superb piece of skill to fire a curling freekick inside Arendse's near post and make it 2-0 on 55 minutes with South Africa's two-man wall totally ineffective. Benni McCarthy had a low volley blocked moments later as he tried to galvanise the South Africans, who gained renewed hope when Struway deflected a low Aaron Mokoena shot past his own keeper to make it 2-1 on the hour mark. Paraguay then threw on Diego Gavilan for Guido Alvarenga while the tiring McCarthy made way for George Koumantarakis of Basle after failing to improve on his tally of 17 goals for his country. Paraguay might have had a penalty of their own in the opening seconds of the match as Santa Cruz went down in the box after tangling with Arendse - but referee Lubos Michel elected to wave play on.

(courtesy of dailysoccer)




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Page created by Christakis Ioannou on 2 June 2002 19:22:08.