Paraguay beat Nicaragua 4-0 at the Defensores del Chaco in its final home amistosos internacionales before the 2026 World Cup, but the comfortable scoreline was clouded when Julio Enciso left the match injured in the 25th minute.
The goals that settled the game came at clear moments: el Kaku opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 17th minute, Miguel Almirón doubled the lead with a strike in the 42nd, Matías Galarza extended the margin in the 62nd, and Alexandro Maidana finished the rout five minutes later to make it 4-0.
Enciso's exit arrived eight minutes after the opener. He collided with an opponent and immediately showed pain in his right hamstring; Paraguay's medical staff attended to him on the pitch and he was substituted in the 25th minute. The injury was noted as the worrying detail in an otherwise comfortable victory.
Coach and staff used the remainder of the first half and the break to rotate heavily: Paraguay made 10 changes at halftime, a signal that the match was being treated as preparation rather than a fixed lineup test. Nicaragua struggled to recover possession and spent stretches of the second half pinned in its own half, allowing Paraguay room to reorganize and blood alternatives.
Statistically the win was decisive and timely—four goals, late strikes that demonstrated depth beyond the starting XI—but the result's value is now measured against a single, urgent uncertainty: how serious is Enciso's right hamstring problem so close to the World Cup opening match?
The unanswered question matters because Paraguay is scheduled to debut in the 2026 World Cup against the United States on Friday, June 12. That opener is less than two weeks away, and the availability of attacking options will shape selection and tactics for the tournament start.
For now, the match supplies two simultaneous takeaways. On pure form and squad breadth, Paraguay left the Defensores del Chaco with a convincing victory and multiple players who can contribute in the tournament. On personnel risk, the team carries home a potentially limiting hamstring issue to its key attacking pool in Enciso—an issue that will demand rapid assessment and treatment.
The most consequential detail remains unresolved: the precise severity of the right hamstring injury. Medical tests and the team's fitness updates over the next days will determine whether Enciso is cleared to travel and be considered for selection against the United States on June 12. Until that medical verdict, Friday's opener will be planned in the shadow of one player’s condition rather than the simple momentum a 4-0 win would otherwise provide.
