Justo Villar was beaten by Gamarra's own goal

"I want to congratulate the team for their attitude and effort," said Ruiz, whose side were undone by Carlos Gamarra's third-minute own goal.

"After the surprise of the first goal we managed to control a strong team who could go to the final game.

"They are a good side but we were up at their level."

He was also optimistic that Paraguay, who next face Sweden in Dortmund on Thursday, could still qualify for the knockout phase.

"We're capable of getting two good results and going on to the next round," he said.

England dominated the first half, although Paraguay provided a bigger threat after the break as the temperature hit 84F.

"I think we handled the heat better than they did and were superior physically," said Ruiz.

"We could block some dangerous players like (striker Peter) Crouch but we were not accurate enough to score.