Miguel Almiron’s historic mouth-covering red card hands Socceroos a massive boost for Paraguay clash
– Alameda: Socceroos star Jackson Irvine says he has no sympathy for suspended Paraguayan rival Miguel Almiron, who will miss Friday’s (AEST) clash in Santa Clara after becoming the first player sent off under the World Cup’s controversial new muzzle rule.
Known for his seven-year tenure with Newcastle United in the Premier League, Almirón received an automatic one-match ban for his historic red card in Paraguay’s 1-0 win over Türkiye, providing a huge boost to Tony Popovic’s team.
The incident occurred during the stoppage time of the first half, when Almiron and Turkish defender Mert Mulder were talking to each other after a foul committed in the midfield. Almiron put his hand over his mouth while talking to Mulder, and Mulder immediately appealed to the referee. Following the VAR review, 32-year-old Almiron was given his marching orders.
He became the first player to breach a new rule introduced a few weeks ago by the game’s lawmakers, the International Football Association Board, to prevent players from hiding evidence of abusive language.
This incident stemmed from an incident in the UEFA Champions League when Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni covered his shirt over his mouth while talking to Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior. Prestianni was initially accused of racial abuse but was later found guilty of homophobic behavior and received a three-match ban.
Almiron’s ban will give the Socceroos a crucial advantage in a match they must win or draw to secure second place in Group B, with Egypt heading to Dallas for a last-32 clash with either Iran, New Zealand or Belgium.
Some critics claimed the penalty did not fit the crime, but Irvine, one of the players Almiron could face in midfield, suggested his Paraguayan counterpart had no one to blame but himself.
“I think the rule itself is pretty clear,” Irvine said.
“We’ve all been told before. I know this is going to be controversial in some ways because we don’t know what happened.” [that was said]But when you look at what’s happened in the past, especially the incident with Vinicius Junior, I think it takes everything out of the equation.
“If you’re saying something to someone that you don’t want to be seen, then I think it’s safe to say that if you can’t be seen saying it, then it shouldn’t be said. So for me it’s a clear line and we’ve all been told about it, so it is.”
Irvine is preparing for another physical defeat against Paraguay, known as a solid and defensively focused team, who will be looking for results to increase their chances of reaching a more advantageous opponent in the round of 32 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.
Third place in Group B would still be enough for Australia or Paraguay to book a place in the knockout stage, but neither team will want to leave their World Cup fate to chance.
Irvine watched Paraguay’s victory over a listless Türkiye, played hours after the Socceroos’ emphatic 2-0 defeat against the United States, and recalled a series of plays towards the end that he said epitomized the all-round challenge that awaited them.
“There were about five minutes left and they [Paraguay] “He won the ball back high up the pitch and had a chance to take the corner,” he said.
“And the guy hits the cross to the back post with three men and they try to score again with 10 men and they go 1-0 up… you know what kind of game it’s going to be.
“In some moments you see incredible individual quality and you expect the unexpected, I think that’s the best way to express it.”
Australia’s record against CONMEBOL countries is poor. The Socceroos have won just nine times in 50 matches against their South American opponents, with only two of those wins coming in the last 20 years; one of them was against Paraguay, a country they had never lost to.
Paraguay had impressively beaten Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay to qualify for the World Cup, but their opening 4-1 defeat against the USA showed their penchant for bold attacking play, especially out wide, and offered Popovic a template to follow.
Assuming that the game would be as open as he predicted, Irvine said it would be a good game to have names like Nestory Irankunda, Cristian Volpato, Mohamed Toure and Connor Metcalfe involved from the start.
But Irvine said his teammates need to be more prepared than they were against the Americans to be able to compete from the opening seconds and “get past” their opponents’ peaks.
“You’re going to have to defend, you’re going to have to suffer, and you’re going to have to find ways to get through it,” he said.
“I don’t think we really managed to get ourselves out of those difficult moments in the first half. Then we came out in the second half and looked a lot more on the front foot, a lot more aggressive, we were getting into the fight and winning second balls and it looked like a completely different performance.”
“If we can do that from the start, or at least find a way to shift that momentum a little bit in the second half, then that will give us a better chance of being competitive from the start.”
With veteran Mathew Leckie under evaluation following a suspected hamstring injury at Seattle, Popovic is unlikely to have his pick of exactly 26 players.
“We all hope for the best for him,” Irvine said. “I have no idea what the situation is but he’s a very important part of the group. Hopefully he can be here and be around for as long as possible.”
