page_title: History of the Paraguay national football team
section_title: 2011 Copa América
hierarchical_section_title: History of the Paraguay national football team / The golden generation (1990–2011) / 2002 FIFA World Cup / 2011 Copa América
caption_attribution_description: Español: Aficionados paraguayos durante el partido final de la Copa América 2011, entre Uruguay y Paraguay. Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
context_page_description: The history of the Paraguay national football team began in 1910 when the national team played a friendly match. The Paraguay played its first international in 1919, a 5–1 loss to Argentina. Paraguay have won the Copa América twice, in 1953 and 1979.
context_section_description: Source:
  The Albirroja participated in seven friendly matches prior to the 2011 Copa América would commence in July, were Paraguay were drawn into Group B with Brazil, Venezuela and Ecuador. Gerardo Martino included with him new players such as Marcos Cáceres, Marcelo Estigarribia, Hernán Pérez, Osvaldo Martínez, Pablo Zeballos and Iván Piris, who were all participating in their first major competition at international level. The competition itself being held in Argentina was an advantage to Paraguay, due to the Paraguayan population in the host country. Paraguay would draw their opening group stage match 0–0 with Ecuador before facing the Copa América defending champions Brazil in their second group stage fixture. Paraguay would face Brazil on 9 July at the Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes in Córdoba. After trailing 1–0 at half time, a cross was played through to Roque Santa Cruz from the wing as the striker side footed the equalizer in the 54th minute. Santa Cruz was replaced by Nelson Valdez in the 56th minute, and ten minutes later Valdez would score for Paraguay, given them a 2–1 lead in the 66th minute. The scores were leveled 2–2 by Fred in the 89th minute, as Paraguay would settle for their second consecutive draw of the tournament. On 13 July, Paraguay played out a 3–3 draw with Venezuela, in a match which saw goals from Antolin Alcaraz, Lucas Barrios and an 85th-minute goal from Cristian Riveros, which had Paraguay 3–1 in front. However, Venezuela would score in both the 89th and 92nd minute of the match to draw at 3–3. Paraguay concluded the group stage phase with three points from three matches, as the group's third-place finisher and the competition's second-best third-place finisher in the group stage. Paraguay were drawn against Brazil at the quarter final stages, where the match was played at the Estadio Ciudad de La Plata on 17 July. After a 0–0 after 120 minutes, which saw two red cards (to Lucas Leiva and Antolín Alcaraz in the 103rd minute), the match was decided via a penalty shoot out. Brazil failed to convert all of their four spot kicks as Paraguay, who had seen Édgar Barreto miss his spot kick, converted two out of their three penalties, when both Marcelo Estigarribia and Cristian Riveros scored from the spot, to win the penalty shoot out 2–0. Paraguay then faced Venezuela in the semi-final on 20 July. Roque Santa Cruz, who was carrying an injury, had been substituted onto the field in the 73rd minute for Nelson Valdez, but then replaced in the 80th minute for Osvaldo Martínez. Jonathan Santana received his second yellow card of the match in the 102nd minute as the fixture ended 0–0 after extra time. Paraguay eventually won 5–3 via their second consecutive penalty shoot out, which saw Néstor Ortigoza, Lucas Barrios, Cristian Riveros, Osvaldo Martínez and Darío Verón score five out of their five spot kicks to send Paraguay to the 2011 Copa América final.
caption: Paraguayan fans at the 2011 Copa América final
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