They then faced to face Nigeria, who has already qualified for the second round after winning their first two matches. Paraguay drew their first two matches 0-0, against Bulgaria and Spain. In the Olympics, Paraguay finished second in its group and were eliminated by Ghana in the quarter-finals. Paraguay concluded the qualifiers for the 1998 World Cup in second position, one point below Argentina. Coached by the Brazilian Paulo César Carpegiani, the Albirroja returned to the World Cup finals for the first time since 1986. The squad featured experienced players. The most important aspect of that Paraguay team was the emergence of new young players like Carlos Gamarra, Celso Ayala, José Luis Chilavert, Francisco Arce and José Cardozo, which became part of the “golden generation” that led Paraguay to three straight World Cups and good performances in continental competitions, establishing Paraguay as one of the top teams in South America alongside Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay.