USA Demolish Opponent at Home, Paraguay Suffers Heavy Defeat in Opening Match

The kickoff went to the paper favorites, but it was the South Americans who threatened first. In just the 2nd minute, Almirón tested goalkeeper Freese with a dangerous shot from an acute angle. This moment, however, quickly woke up the hosts, and they struck in the 7th minute. Pulisic fed the ball to McKennie, whose driven cross into the six-yard box was unfortunately turned into his own net by Damián Bobadilla. The conceded goal visibly rattled the Paraguayan team, and the home side fully seized the initiative. Although Balogun's goal in the 28th minute was disallowed for a clear offside, the stadium erupted just 3 minutes later. Pulisic found Balogun with a precise pass, and from the penalty spot, he ruthlessly slotted the ball into the bottom corner of Gill's goal. The Americans dominated the field, a fact McKennie could have confirmed with a header, and Tillman with a one-on-one chance against the goalkeeper, but their opportunities went begging. The perfect half for the American team was ultimately capped off in the 5th minute of added time by the ever-agile Balogun. He cleverly evaded the offside trap, held off challenges from Paraguayan defenders, and unleashed an exquisite left-footed shot into the top left corner, giving Gill no chance.

Both teams made changes to their lineups for the second half, with the American coach withdrawing the star player Pulisic. The game's rhythm became somewhat more balanced, aided by a curious situation in the 52nd minute when the referee, after consulting VAR, rescinded a yellow card for home player Ream and instead penalized Almirón for simulation. The visitors tried to salvage something from the unfavorable scoreline and were rewarded with a goal in the 73rd minute. Enciso found substitute Maurício with a cross, and he reduced the deficit with a precise strike to the far post. However, the Americans immediately pushed forward again and regained full control. Substitutes Weah and Tillman were both denied by the opposing goalkeeper, and Pepi inexplicably blazed over the bar from a golden opportunity. The final word, therefore, belonged to the home footballers in the 8th minute of added time. Following a swift attack, substitute Giovanni Reyna received the ball just outside the box and sealed a convincing 4-1 victory for the USA with a technical shot to the far post.