Palmeiras: Gustavo Gómez breaks Club World Cup record | OneFootball

Center-back Gustavo Gómez, of Palmeiras and the Paraguayan national team, made World Cup history by equaling the South American record for tackles in a single match in the 21st century. According to data from the ‘Opta’ platform, the defender made nine tackles in Paraguay’s 1-0 win over Turkey this Saturday (20).

With that mark, Gómez matched the achievement set by Argentina’s Walter Samuel during the 2002 World Cup, in a match against Nigeria.

The Paraguayan captain’s performance becomes even more significant given the context of the match. Playing with one man fewer throughout the entire second half, Paraguay came under heavy pressure from Turkey, who finished the match with more than 30 shots and around 80% possession.

The defensive display represented a true redemption for the Paraguayan national team. In their Group D opener, the team had left a poor impression after being thrashed 4-1 by the United States. This time, however, the defense once again showed the solidity that had marked its qualifying campaign, with Gustavo Gómez as the standout performer.

Now, Paraguay will decide qualification for the round of 16 against Australia, in a match scheduled for next Thursday (25). Relying on the return of their defensive strength, Gustavo Gómez’s team is looking to secure its place in the next stage of the World Cup.

Verdão at the World Cup

Palmeiras has seven players called up for the World Cup: Mauricio, Gustavo Gómez, and Ramón Sosa for Paraguay; Flaco López for Argentina; Emiliano Martínez and Joaquin Piquerez for Uruguay; and Jhon Arias for Colombia.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.