Paraguay and Australia will meet on June 25 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, in a Group D match that will almost certainly send one team home. Both squads carry 3 points from their first two games, meaning the winner books a ticket to the knockout stage. A draw could leave either side on the wrong end of tiebreakers.

Paraguay hasn’t appeared in a World Cup since 2010. That’s a 16-year drought, which makes their current position, competitive and within touching distance of the Round of 32, genuinely remarkable.

Defenders Omar Alderete, who plays for Sunderland in England, and Junior Alonso of Atlético Mineiro have spoken publicly about the squad’s mindset heading into the match. Both players…