Italy Grinds Out the Win, Barely Breaking Sweat
Italy were supposed to be reborn at this World Cup, and against stubborn Paraguay they just about proved it — one ugly, beautiful 1-0 win at a time. If you've ever watched a team defend a lead like their life depended on it, this was the masterclass.
There is something almost mythological about Italy at a World Cup. Four times world champions, twice absent in recent memory like a ghost who forgot to haunt the building — and now, finally, back in Silicon Valley of all places, squinting into the California sun and remembering what it felt like to matter.
Paraguay didn't read the sentimental script. Miguel Almirón kept fizzing down the flank with that wiry, relentless energy that served Newcastle so well, and Julio Enciso — still only 22 and carrying an entire nation's dreams on those slim shoulders — kept finding pockets of space that made Italian defenders look older than their passports. This was a match that had blood and mud beneath its surface, even on a pristine Levi's Stadium pitch.
But Italy being Italy, they found a way. One goal, well-guarded, defended with the kind of collective grimace that this shirt has always demanded. Sandro Tonali ran and ran, Federico Chiesa flickered with that broken-record brilliance of his, and when the final whistle came the Azzurri exhaled like a nation. Three points. Welcome back.
The stakes
A win on Matchday 1 in Group L puts Italy in the driving seat for qualification before they've even broken a serious sweat. Paraguay, meanwhile, face a steep climb — drop points here and their margin for error against the other group opponents essentially disappears. In a group where every point feels like a small war, Italy have drawn first blood.
The rivalry angle
Italy and Paraguay don't share the kind of rivalry that keeps historians busy, but they share something more interesting: a stubbornness, a refusal to be opened up, a belief that defending is not shameful but sacred. Both teams came here to grind. Only one of them left smiling, and the Azzurri will take ugly over elegant every single time.
Players who could decide it
Banned from football for ten months after a betting scandal, Tonali returned a changed, hungrier man — this World Cup is his act of redemption, run by run.
Young, fearless, and capable of brilliance from nowhere, Enciso was Paraguay's best hope of unlocking an Italian defence built like a cathedral door.
Perpetually injured, perpetually brilliant — when Chiesa is running at people in blue, Italy feel like a different animal entirely.
Did you know?
- !Italy's last World Cup appearance before 2026 was the 2014 group stage — they missed both Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022 in qualification, making this their long-awaited return.
- !Julio Enciso became one of Brighton's cult heroes with a stunning Premier League volley against Manchester City in 2023, which tells you everything about what he's capable of on his day.
- !Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara hosted Super Bowl 50 in 2016 — it's a venue built for moments that linger, which suited Italy's brooding style just fine.
Head to head
Italy and Paraguay have met just a handful of times, mostly in group stages of bygone World Cups, with Italy generally edging the exchanges. Nothing about their history screams rivalry — but both sides know how to make a match feel like a street fight regardless.
Highlights
Video highlights coming soon