Winning goal: Fabián Balbuena scored the 1-0 for Paraguay against United Arab Emirates.

Paraguay vs. United Arab Emirates: preview

Paraguay's national team did not qualify for Qatar, however, they want to prepare in the best way for the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup. In this sense, they won by the minimum difference against the United Arab Emirates in a friendly match.

Both teams had different opportunities to open the scoring, however, the only goal of the match came in the 85th minute. Jesús Medina scored from a corner kick, winning in the air to beat Khalid Eisa with a header.

It is important to mention that, after the failed attempt to qualify for Qatar 2022, the 'Albirroja' has played three times: they lost 4-1 to Japan, drew 2-2 with South Korea and won 1-0 against Mexico. The most recent result against the 'Tri' did not include European players and there was a majority of local players.

Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates also failed to qualify for the World Cup. Although, they will continue their preparation for the Asian qualifiers and on Tuesday they will face Venezuela.

Paraguay vs. United Arab Emirates: preview

The main stars of the Paraguayan team on this occasion are forward Miguel Almirón and defender Gustavo Gómez. Julio Enciso, 18, recent signing of Brighton in England, is another novelty in the squad.

Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates national team is also preparing for their upcoming challenges in the qualifiers, as they did not qualify for Qatar 2022. In the match against Australia for the Asian spot in the World Cup playoffs, the Emirates team lost 2-1.