Miguel Almiron's Copa America dreams are still alive after Paraguay were handed a quarter-final reprieve on Monday evening.
La Albirroja's hopes of reaching the last eight were hanging by a thread on Sunday after they fell to a 1-0 defeat to a Colombia side that made 10 changes from their previous win over Qatar.
Defeat knocked Paraguay down to third place in Group B, meaning only a draw between Japan and Ecuador in Monday night's Group C encounter would book Eduardo Berizzo's side a quarter-final date with host nation Brazil.
And luckily for Paraguay, that is exactly what happened as the two sides played out a 1-1 draw in Belo Horizonte to confirm Paraguay's progression as one of the top two third place sides in the competition.
It means Almiron will have the opportunity to continue his fine form in the tournament. Newcastle's record signing was at his creative best during the opening two group games, registering assists in both the draws against Qatar and Argentina, and his form has reportedly attracted the attention of Spanish giants Real Madrid.
The bad news for Newcastle is that his 2018/19 campaign will stretch until at least Thursday. The consequence of that being a later return to Newcastle for pre-season training under new management.
Christian Atsu will also be a late returnee. The 27-year-old kicks off his Africa Cup of Nations campaign with Ghana this evening when the Black Stars take on Benin in their opening group game.
However, Freddie Woodman is set to return after England under-21s ended a disappointing European Championship campaign with a 3-3 draw against Croatia. The 22-year-old was an unused substitute.
