Tragedy strikes for Paraguay match-winner Gonzalez

Paraguay’s penalty hero Derlis Gonzalez saw his celebrations curtailed by tragedy following the death of his uncle from a heart attack on Saturday night.

The 21-year-old forward scored from the spot to level his side’s Copa America quarter-final clash with Brazil in Concepcion at 1-1, and then netted the winner in the shoot-out to seal a place in the last four for Ramon Diaz’s men.

But after the game, Gonzalez learned that his uncle had suffered a heart attack while watching the match in his homeland, and passed away with doctors unable to revive him.

“Why today uncle? Why? You left me after a heart attack because I gave you so much joy and so much happiness. I can’t believe it,” Gonzalez wrote on Twitter on Saturday in a post that also featured a photo of his uncle.

Gonzalez plays his club football for FC Basel in Switzerland and is considered the latest in Paraguay’s long line of striking talents.