Diego Maradona is not the only Argentinian manager in this World Cup, although he has cornered most of the publicity. Marcelo Bielsa has forged Chile into a formidable force and Gerardo Martino has done the same with Paraguay. The question is can they become the first nation in this World Cup to overcome New Zealand – something you wouldn’t have thought of asking two weeks ago. They will probably rely on the side that overcame Slovakia 2-0 and the fact that both the Slovaks and the Italians have stumbled against the All-Whites should give Paraguay an edge – after all, they know what to expect.

It can’t possibly continue for this team of bankers and doctors can it? Logic would tell you no; but morale is through the roof and, if they can take the lead against the world champions, Paraguay should not provide too many mental obstacles. As their midfielder, Andy Barron, who has been given six weeks off by his bank, said: “No-one will believe we are in this position because nobody gave us a prayer of doing anything but we knew we were not coming to South Africa to lose all three matches. We won friendlies against the likes of Serbia and that gave us all a lot of confidence.”

This is not going to be a pretty game. As they proved when ruthlessly targeting Riccardo Montolivo in the opening game, Paraguay can mix it with the best of them while New Zealand have proved themselves tough, physical opponents, especially at set pieces. The question must be whether an All-White defence, superbly marshalled by Ryan Nelsen against the Italians, can have recovered in time to face a demanding Paraguay side. The odds are that it won’t. Verdict: Paraguay to win.