SOUTH AFRICA: FOOTBALL / SOCCER - WORLD CUP 2010 - Paraguay and Slovakia fans convinced of a win

Record ID: 455777

  • Title: SOUTH AFRICA: FOOTBALL / SOCCER - WORLD CUP 2010 - Paraguay and Slovakia fans convinced of a win
  • Date: 21st May 2010
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) JOSE ACOSTA, PARAGUAY FAN, SAYING: "I think we have a very strong team, we have great players and everybody is prepared for the game today and we are very hopeful that we'll get to the next round. We are already preparing ourselves to stay here in South Africa for the next round, so we think we can beat Slovakia today." (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) JORGE, PARAGUAY FAN, SAYING: "What the other team does is not really our problem, we are focused on what we can do and as we always plan these matches carefully, we just hope everything goes according to plan." VARIOUS OF SLOVAKIA FANS SHOWING THEIR TICKETS AT THE STADIUM (SOUNDBITE) (Slovak) PAUL BIRINGER, SLOVAKIA FAN, SAYING: "It's wide open, the ball is round, and we hope to go to the next round. I was pleasantly surprised how well Paraguay played. We needed a win against New Zealand but in the last minute, somehow it slipped away from us." (SOUNDBITE) (Slovak) RICHARD VESELY, SLOVAKIA FAN, SAYING: "To get a goal at the last minute at the last second, that is a little sporting tragedy. We should have won that game. Everybody was very disappointed. But you know, World Cup is World Cup, we have to keep fighting, we have to keep going on."
  • Embargoed: 5th June 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: South Africa
  • Country: South Africa
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA84RC8HQWO8WOHMNND3OWJ71F5
  • Story Text: After drawing in the last minutes with New Zealand, Slovakia have something to prove on Sunday (June 20), against a Paraguay team that managed to hold World Cup holders, Italy to a 1-1 draw in their opening match.
    Paraguay fans are convinced that their team will beat Slovakia and advance to the Round of 16.
    "Everybody is prepared for the game today and we are very hopeful that we'll get to the next round. We are already preparing ourselves to stay here in South Africa for the next round, so we think we can beat Slovakia today," said Paraguay fan, Jose Acosta.
    Another fan, Jorge, believes that Paraguay's fine planning will make them victors.
    "What the other team does is not really our problem, we are focused on what we can do and as we always plan these matches carefully, we just hope everything goes according to plan," said the Paraguay fan.
    First-time World Cup qualifiers, Slovakia have strong support in their fans, who take the tournament very seriously, in a light-hearted sporting manner.
    "To get a goal at the last minute at the last second, that is a little sporting tragedy. We should have won that game. Everybody was very disappointed. But you know, World Cup is World Cup, we have to keep fighting, we have to keep going on," said Slovakia fan Richard Vesely.
    "It's wide open, the ball is round, and we hope to go to the next round. I was pleasantly surprise how well Paraguay played. We needed a win against New Zealand but in the last minute, somehow it slipped away from us," said Slovakia supporter Paul Biringer.
    All four teams in Group F drew their first match, leaving the group wide open.
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