20 July 2011 - There's Something To Be Said For Consistency

On 20 July 2011, Paraguay advanced to the Copa América Final despite not winning any of their previous matches in the tournament. They didn't win the Final either, losing to Uruguay 3-0.

Paraguay, who won the tournament in 1953 and 1979, opened their 2011 campaign by drawing 0-0 with Ecuador. They followed that with draws with Brazil (2-2) and Venezuela (3-3) to finish third in their group. But they advanced to the knockout rounds as their three points made them the second-best third-place finisher from the group stage.

In the quarterfinals, they faced Brazil again and held them to a scoreless draw through extra-time. They won the ensuing penalty shootout 2-0, but under FIFA rules, the shootout is not part of the match, which is officially considered a draw. They advanced to a semifinal rematch with Venezuela on 20 July where they again played to a scoreless draw through extra-time and advanced on penalties.

The pattern failed to hold in the Final, however, played at the Monumental in Buenos Aires on 24 July. There, a goal from Luis Suárez (11') and a brace from Diego Forlán (41', 89') ensured Uruguay's victory at the end of 90 minutes.

25 January 2010 - The Shooting Of Salvador Cabañas

On 25 January 2010, Paraguayan striker Salvador Cabañas was shot in the head during a confrontation at a bar near Mexico City. Miraculously, he survived the shooting and continues to play football.

At the time, the 2007 South American Footballer of the Year was in his fourth season with Club América and had gotten off to a strong start, with 18 goals in 24 matches. He was enjoying a night out with friends and family at the Bar Bar nightclub when, at approximately 5:00 am, he was shot by José Balderas Garza, later identified as a Mexican drug lord. According to some witnesses, including Cabañas's wife, the assault began as a robbery, while others claimed the two men had been involved in a heated exchange of words.

He was rushed to the hospital and remained in intensive care until early February, with doctors saying his survival had defied overwhelming odds. His career, however, appeared to be over.

Then, in late 2011, he appeared in a testimonial match held in his honor between América and the Paraguayan national team. 

He later signed a contract with his former club 12 de Octubre and another with Tanabe Esporte Club, but did not play in an official match for either team. In 2014, after a brief retirement, he joined Independiente FC of Pedro Juan Caballero, where he made four appearances. 

30 April 1949 - Paradise for Paraguay

On 30 April 1949, Paraguay secured their record victory, beating Bolivia 7-0 in the Copa América.

Dating back to 1910, the national team of Paraguay had finished as runners-up in the tournament three times, but had never won it. By the time they played Bolivia in 1949, they were again in second place, just behind Brazil, after losing to Uruguay ten days earlier.

Playing before a crowd of 45,000 at Rio de Janeiro's Estádio São Januário, Paraguay looked determined to maintain their title challenge with a first-half hat-trick from Jorge Benítez. Forward Dionisio Arce added a fourth before the break. They contributed another goal each in the second half, while Pedro Fernández joined them on the scoresheet. It was a crushing defeat for Bolivia, but not their worst of the tourney--they had already lost to Brazil 10-1 earlier that month.

Paraguay went on to beat Brazil 2-1 in the last scheduled match. The win drew the teams level in the table, forcing a playoff. That match ended 7-0, but Paraguay were on the wrong end that time as Brazil claimed their third Copa América title. Paraguay did eventually win the tournament in 1953 and again in 1979.

In 2010, Paraguay matched the 7-0 scoreline with a win over Hong Kong in a post-World Cup friendly.

17 July 1930 - The World Cup's First Hat-Trick

On 17 July 1930, US forward Bert Patenaude (pictured, front row, center) scored the first-ever World Cup hat-trick as the United States beat Paraguay 3-0 in the first round group stage of the inaugural World Cup.

Played before a meager crowd of 800 at Montevideo's Estadio Parque Central, the match was the first of the tournament for Paraguay. The US had played one previous match, beating Belgium 3-0 on the tourney's opening day. Patenaude had scored the third goal against Belgium in the 88th minute.

Against Paraguay, he picked up where he had left off by scoring in the 10th minute. The US went up 2-0 in the 15th minute, but for years FIFA credited that second goal to Patenaude's strike partner Tom Florie. Other reports claimed it as an own goal scored by Paraguay's Aurelio González. Patenaude unambiguously scored the third goal in the 50th minute to secure the 3-0 win and put the US through to the knockout stage, where they were eliminated by Argentina.

Two days after the US-Paraguay match, Argentina's Guillermo Stábile netted three goals in their 6-3 win over Mexico, staking claim to the first-ever World Cup hat-trick. But in November 2006, FIFA confirmed Patenaude as the scorer of the second US goal against Paraguay, giving him the honor.

24 July 2011 - Two Guays Walk Into A Final ...

On 24 July 2011, Uruguay won a record 15th Copa América, beating Paraguay in the final, 3-0.

Uruguay won their fourteenth title in 1995, tying them with Argentina as the competition's most successful team. Paraguay, meanwhile, had won it twice before, but made it to the 2011 final under unusual circumstances.

They drew all three of their group stage matches, but took the last spot in the knockout rounds with the second-best record of the tournament's three third-place teams. They then reached the final after beating Brazil and Venezuela in penalty shootouts, which were officially recorded as draws, meaning that they made it to the title game without winning (or losing) a single match.

Their unusual run ended in the final, however, as goals from Luis Suárez (11') and Diego Forlán (41', 89') lifted Uruguay to a convincing win.

20 July 2011 - There's Something To Be Said For Consistency

On 20 July 2011, Paraguay advanced to the Copa América Final despite not winning any of their previous matches in the tournament. They didn't win the Final either, losing to Uruguay 3-0.

Paraguay, who won the tournament in 1953 and 1979, opened their 2011 campaign by drawing 0-0 with Ecuador. They followed that with draws with Brazil (2-2) and Venezuela (3-3) to finish third in their group. But they advanced to the knockout rounds as their three points made them the second-best third-place finisher from the group stage.

In the quarterfinals, they faced Brazil again and held them to a scoreless draw through extra-time. They won the ensuing penalty shootout 2-0, but under FIFA rules, the shootout is not part of the match, which is officially considered a draw. They advanced to a semifinal rematch with Venezuela on 20 July where they again played to a scoreless draw through extra-time and advanced on penalties.

The pattern failed to hold in the Final, however, played at the Monumental in Buenos Aires on 24 July. There, a goal from Luis Suárez (11') and a brace from Diego Forlán (41', 89') ensured Uruguay's victory at the end of 90 minutes.

25 January 2010 - The Shooting Of Salvador Cabañas

On 25 January 2010, Paraguayan striker Salvador Cabañas was shot in the head during a confrontation at a bar near Mexico City. Miraculously, he survived the shooting and continues to play football.

At the time, the 2007 South American Footballer of the Year was in his fourth season with Club América and had gotten off to a strong start, with 18 goals in 24 matches. He was enjoying a night out with friends and family at the Bar Bar nightclub when, at approximately 5:00 am, he was shot by José Balderas Garza, later identified as a Mexican drug lord. According to some witnesses, including Cabañas's wife, the assault began as a robbery, while others claimed the two men had been involved in a heated exchange of words.

He was rushed to the hospital and remained in intensive care until early February, with doctors saying his survival had defied overwhelming odds. His career, however, appeared to be over.

Then, in late 2011, he appeared in a testimonial match held in his honor between América and the Paraguayan national team. Then, in January 2012, he signed a contract with his former club 12 de Octubre, now in the Paraguayan third division.

30 April 1949 - Sorry, Larissa Riquelme Wasn't There

On 30 April 1949, Paraguay secured their record victory, beating Bolivia 7-0 in the Copa América.

Dating back to 1910, the national team of Paraguay had finished as runners-up in the tournament three times, but had never won it. By the time they played Bolivia in 1949, they were again in second place, just behind Brazil, after losing to Uruguay ten days earlier.

Playing before a crowd of 45,000 at Rio de Janeiro's Estádio São Januário, Paraguay looked determined to maintain their title challenge with a first-half hat-trick from Jorge Benítez. Forward Dionisio Arce added a fourth before the break. They contributed another goal each in the second half, while Pedro Fernández joined them on the scoresheet. It was a crushing defeat for Bolivia, but not their worst of the tourney--they had already lost to Brazil 10-1 earlier that month.

Paraguay went on to beat Brazil 2-1 in the last scheduled match. The win drew the teams level in the table, forcing a playoff. That match ended 7-0, but Paraguay were on the wrong end that time as Brazil claimed their third Copa América title. Paraguay did eventually win the tournament in 1953 and again in 1979.

In 2010, Paraguay matched the 7-0 scoreline with a win over Hong Kong in a post-World Cup friendly.

17 July 1930 - The World Cup's First Hat-Trick

On 17 July 1930, US forward Bert Patenaude (pictured, front row, center) scored the first-ever World Cup hat-trick as the United States beat Paraguay 3-0 in the first round group stage of the inaugural World Cup.

Played before a meager crowd of 800 at Montevideo's Estadio Parque Central, the match was the first of the tournament for Paraguay. The US had played one previous match, beating Belgium 3-0 on the tourney's opening day. Patenaude had scored the third goal against Belgium in the 88th minute.

Against Paraguay, he picked up where he had left off by scoring in the 10th minute. The US went up 2-0 in the 15th minute, but for years FIFA credited that second goal to Patenaude's strike partner Tom Florie. Other reports claimed it as an own goal scored by Paraguay's Aurelio González. Patenaude unambiguously scored the third goal in the 50th minute to secure the 3-0 win and put the US through to the knockout stage, where they were eliminated by Argentina.

Two days after the US-Paraguay match, Argentina's Guillermo Stábile netted three goals in their 6-3 win over Mexico, staking claim to the first-ever World Cup hat-trick. But in November 2006, FIFA confirmed Patenaude as the scorer of the second US goal against Paraguay, giving him the honor.