Garnero's Future Uncertain As Paraguay Ends Copa America With Disappointment

Paraguay's coach, Daniel Garnero, is aware that a poor Copa America performance might lead to his dismissal. His team, already out of the tournament before their last match, lost 2-1 to Costa Rica on Tuesday. This defeat left them at the bottom of Group D, having lost all three of their matches. Paraguay had not experienced such a dismal group stage since 1925.

Despite the disappointing results, Garnero acknowledged the situation candidly. "It was a bad tournament, a bad performance," he said. "I am here because the association requested my services and if they don't want me to continue, that is their decision. I'll have to discuss that with them." Paraguay did manage to score in each of their group stage matches, a feat they have only achieved twice this century in the Copa America (2015 and 2004).

The group also included strong teams like Colombia and Brazil, which proved too challenging for Paraguay. They had better chances against Costa Rica but couldn't capitalise effectively. Costa Rica became the first team to score two goals within the first 10 minutes of play in a Copa America match since Argentina did so against Chile in 1995.

Francisco Calvo and Josimar Alcocer scored early for Costa Rica, putting them 2-0 up. At just under 20 years old, Alcocer is now the third youngest player from a non-CONMEBOL team to score at the Copa America.

pic.twitter.com/ePbG8dn0r9

— CONMEBOL Copa AmricaENG (@copaamerica_ENG) July 3, 2024

Ramon Sosa managed to get one back for Paraguay with an impressive strike, but Costa Rica held firm. This result means Costa Rica has now gone four consecutive matches without losing to Paraguay in all competitions (W2 D2). This is their second-longest unbeaten streak against a CONMEBOL team, only surpassed by a five-match unbeaten run against Venezuela between 2001 and 2011 (W2 D3).

However, despite their victory over Paraguay, Costa Rica finished third in the group and did not advance further. They ended one point behind Brazil. Reflecting on the tournament, Costa Rica coach Gustavo Alfaro said: "This was a very tough group. We were playing against Brazil and Colombia, two of the four favourites to win the Copa."

Coach Alfaro's Reflections

Alfaro emphasised learning from both strengths and mistakes: "We had our strengths, our achievements and our mistakes, but we grew and we're analysing the performance rather than the results. The important thing is that we learn." Despite not advancing, Alfaro sees value in evaluating their overall performance.

The challenging group stage highlighted areas for improvement for both teams. While Paraguay faces potential changes in coaching staff due to their poor performance, Costa Rica looks forward to building on their experiences from this tournament.