World Cup

 Full Time - Penalty Kicks
Paraguay
(5) 0
 
0 (3)
Japan
Penalty Kicks:  Paraguay wins (5 - 3)
HT: 0-0
Loftus Versfeld Stadium (Attendance: 36,742)
Referee: Frank De Bleeckere
Preview  |  Stats
CommentaryTeam StatsPlayer Stats Shotchart
Paraguay vs. Japan
Minute Commentary
129' CRUEL WAY TO GO
Japanese players and fans are in tears after being knocked out in the worst way imaginable. Hearts should go out to Komano - the unlucky man who missed from the spot - but in truth Paraguay were the better side prior to the shoot-out. Their progression means that there is South American involvement in all four of the quarter-finals, although Paraguay will have their work cut out against either Spain or Portugal on the evidence of this game.
128' PARAGUAY WIN 5-3!!!
Cardozo is coolness personified as he sends the keeper the wrong way and makes it a perfect set of five penalties for Paraguay as the South Americans make it to their first ever World Cup quarter-final!
127' 4-3 PARAGUAY!
That's how you take a penalty! Honda slides the ball home to keep Japan in it... for now!
126' 4-2 PARAGUAY!
Valdez smashes the ball down the middle and Honda has to score for Japan to stay in it!
125' 3-2 PARAGUAY!!!
Komano gets underneath his shot and smacks the ball into the bar! It's heartbreak for Japan and pole position for Paraguay!
124' 3-2 PARAGUAY!
Riveros steps up and coolly rolls the ball to the right after sending the keeper the wrong way. Very confident!
124' 2-2!
Hasebe makes it all even again with a beautiful penalty, high to the keeper's right!
123' 2-1 PARAGUAY!
Barrios almost sees his shot saved by Kawashima, but just sneaks the ball into the bottom right corner.
122' 1-1!
Endo steps up for Japan... and makes it 1-1. That was a lovely pen, he sent the keeper the wrong way and lifted it into the right side of the net.
121' 1-0 PARAGUAY!
It's Barreto to take the first penalty for Paraguay... and he scores! That was classy, straight into the bottom left corner.
120' PENALTIES!!!
The final whistle goes and it's the first taste of penalties for South Africa 2010!
119' JAPAN GO FOR BROKE
After spending the whole afternoon defending deep, Japan have come alive in the last moments of extra time and could snatch it.
117' YELLOW CARD
Riveros is booked for a crunching challenge in the centre of the park. That's the first yellow for Paraguay.
116' WHAT A WASTE!
Okazaki flicks the ball to put Tamada in space in the box, but he can't find the onrushing Nakamura with a pass and the best chance of the game for Japan is lost. Tamada completely lost his head and failed to turn a golden chance to win the game into a goal.
115' PENALTIES ARE LOOMING
Time is running out if we are to avoid a dreaded penalty shoot-out.
113' YELLOW CARD
Endo picks up a booking for a late sliding challenge, and he will now miss the next game if Japan progress.
110' WIDE OF THE POST
Da Silva gets a header in at the back post, but can't keep it on target and slides the ball wide.
109' BIZARRE DECISION
Japan attack and should have won a free-kick on the edge of the area with one of a number of mistimed challenges, but inexplicably the referee gives it the other way. Nobody in the ground has any idea why!
107' A BIT TOO HEAVY
Endo tries to play in Tamada but over-hits his pass and the ball runs through to the keeper.
106' FINAL JAPANESE CHANGE
Okubo is replaced by Tamada as Japan make their final change of the afternoon.
105' HALF TIME
The whistle goes and we've got 15 minutes left before penalties.
102' OMENS AGAINST US
Exactly one second round game has gone to penalties in every World Cup since Italia 90, and this game looks like the prime candidate to keep that run going.
100' ONTO THE ROOF OF THE NET
Barreto flips the ball back over the keeper, but it was only a half-chance and the ball drops onto the roof of the net.
99' WORTH A HIT
Honda has a go for goal from a free-kick at a tight angle, but Villar gets down to make the save.
97' GREAT SAVE
Valdez spins his man in the box and gets a toe to the ball, but Kawashima pulls off a terrific stop to keep it at 0-0. Why couldn't Paraguay have played like this in normal time!?
95' NOW THAT'S A CHANCE!
Barrios is free in the box, but can only direct his header straight at the keeper. That's the best chance of the game so far, but he lacked the quality to finish.
94' PARAGUAY CHANGE
Santa Cruz is replaced by Cardozo as Paraguay make their third and final change.
92' TEMPERS FRAYING
Paraguay players are starting to argue between themselves, which is never a good sign at this early stage in extra time.
90' EXTRA TIME
The whistle goes and we've got another half an hour of this to get through. Sorry about that folks...
90' YELLOW CARD
Honda is booked for an unintentional handball, and that is one of the harshest decisions of the tournament so far. The Japan striker looks mystified.
90' JUST OUT OF REACH!
A looping header in the box is just out of the reach of a stretching Tulio. If he'd got a touch to that then it could have gone in!
90' ADDED TIME
There are three minutes for one of these teams to make World Cup history and reach the quarter-finals for the first time.
88' GET THE BALL IN!
Barrios has two opportunities to get the ball into the box, but can't beat the first man with his initial attempt, and then hits the second wildly long.
84' EXTRA TIME IS LOOMING
Neither of these teams really look like scoring and this game looks destined for extra time at the moment. There's still time for late drama, but the clock is ticking.
81' CH-CH-CHANGES
Nakamura (the Kengo one, rather than his more famous namesake) replaces Abe for Japan.
79' GOT AWAY WITH THAT
Endo is down and replays show that Morel threw a bit of an elbow as he went up for a header. That should have easily been a yellow, but none of the officials saw it and the Paraguay full-back gets away with it.
76' COULD HAVE BEEN COSTLY
Da Silva back pass is a little short, almost letting Honda in ahead of the onrushing Villar. Thankfully for Paraguay the keeper gets there first.
74' SOUTH AMERICAN SWITCH
Ortigoza's race is run - and not a moment too soon by the looks of his heavy breathing - and the left-midfielder is replaced by Barreto.
72' TIMELY INTERVENTION
Japan attack through Honda, but Ortigoza pulls off a wonderful sliding challenge to ensure the front-man doesn't get in behind the defence.
71' YELLOW CARD
Paraguay break, but Valdez is pulled back by Nagatomo and the defender is booked. That means that he will miss the quarter-final if Japan make it, and will force the manager to make his first change to the starting team of the whole tournament. They're not there yet though!
70' CHANGE OF POLICY
Japan are starting to throw bodies forward and almost carve out a chance, only for Nakazawa's final ball to be well cut out in the box.
68' TOUGH CHARACTER
The Japan centre-back shakily rises to his feet, before shrugging off the attention of the medics on the touchline and coming straight back on. Now that's commitment!
67' HORRIBLE CLASH
Kawashima comes out to claim a cross, but knees Tulio in the jaw in the process, knocking the central defender out cold.
65' JAPAN CHANGE
Okazaki has come on in every Japan match so far, this time replacing Matsui in an attacking change for Japan.
62' THREAT IN THE AIR
Tulio rises high in the box, but is under pressure from Santa Cruz and can't get his header on target.
59' PARAGUAY CHANGE
Benitez makes way for Valdez as the South Americans go for a front-three for the final half hour.
57' POOR FINAL BALL
Benitez is clean through on the inside left, but his ball across the box only picks out a blue shirt and a rare opportunity goes begging. This has been the poorest second round game so far, and we really need some injection of creativity.
53' COMFORTABLE STOP
Nagatomo's shot takes a deflection, but loops into the arms of a grateful Villar. Japan have done little going forward, but have shown quality when shooting from distance and will be hoping for a moment of magic to grab a goal.
49' SO CLOSE FOR PARAGUAY
Ortigoza bursts into the box at the end of a lovely move for the South Americans, but the ball just runs away from him at the vital moment. If one of these sides have enough to win it, then at the moment it looks like Paraguay.
46' SECOND HALF
Paraguay get the second 45 underway.
45' HALF TIME
The whistle goes at the end of a half that has provided little entertainment, but a lot of commitment. Barrios and Santa Cruz had half decent chances for Paraguay, while Japan have hit the bar through Matsui. Stay tuned... things can only get better!
42' TENSION SHOWING
Neither of these countries have ever reached a World Cup quarter-final, and the pressure of this wonderful chance to make history is showing. Both teams are struggling to keep hold of the ball, and the game is littered with niggly fouls and silly errors.
39' THE POWER OF DREAMS
Honda will undoubtedly have played that moment over and over in his head prior to the game, picking the ball up on the edge of the opposition box and hitting a drive into the bottom corner... but presumably in his dreams he never slipped just before making contact, slicing his shot narrowly wide. Shame, it was lovely movement from the forward to create space for the shot.
37' BACK TO HELP OUT
Endo whips in a curling free-kick, but Santa Cruz is back in his own box to put in a header to clear the danger. He could easily have mucked that up and put it in his own net, so credit where it's due - that was top defending.
34' SLOPPY AT THE BACK
Paraguay have time on the ball in the back-line, but needlessly give the ball away and are grateful to a back-tracking Morel for cutting short a dangerous Japan attack.
30' DANGEROUS DELIVERY
Japan's forays forward have been limited, but when they advance they have shown real quality out wide. This time it's Hasebe who whips the cross in, almost picking out Honda at the back post.
27' HE'S HIT IT WIDE!
A loose ball falls at the feet of Santa Cruz in the box, but the striker can't get it out of his feet, snatches at the shot, and sends it wide. That was a real chance for the Man City front-man!
24' THINGS ARE HOTTING UP
Both teams have been sparked into action by that flurry of activity and it's all very end-to-end in Pretoria.
21' OFF THE BAR!
Matsui turns into space and has a first-time pop from miles out, beating the keeper and being denied by the crossbar. That was a wonderful hit and deserved a goal!
19' TOP-CLASS SAVE
Barrios does brilliantly to spin his man on the edge of the box and create a shooting chance, but Kawashima saves well at the near post.
13' NOT THE BEST...
This has hardly been a classic in the opening stages, and the fans that have turned up have started to entertain themselves with some rhythmic vuvuzela 'tunes'.
9' HONOURS EVEN
Neither side have taken control of the game so far, with limited time and space in the centre of midfield and two solid-looking back-lines.
7' HIGH-SCORING ROUND
Fascinating fact for you: There have been 21 goals in the last-16 so far, and if there are six more in today's two games then it will be the most prolific second round since the stage was reintroduced in 1986.
4' MAN IN THE MIDDLE
Frank De Bleeckere of Belgium is today's referee... and a very lenient one if the first few minutes are anything to go by.
3' TOUGH TACKLING START
The challenges are flying in from both sides, and it's a real surprise that nobody has been booked yet.
1' KICK-OFF
The game's underway in Pretoria with Japan in all-blue and Paraguay in their red and white striped shirts with white shorts.
0' HERE COME THE TEAMS
The teams emerge onto the field at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria and belt out their respective anthems. Disappointingly, it's not a capacity crowd, and Fifa should be asked to explain how they've managed to muck up the ticket sales for the biggest tournament in the world so badly.
0' LAST EIGHT
Three of the four quarter-finals are already decided, with Ghana facing Uruguay, Germany meeting Argentina and Brazil clashing colourfully with the Dutch. These two teams are playing for the pleasure of a last eight head-to-head with one of Spain or Portugal, who face off tonight.
0' THE LINE-UPS
Japan make no changes once again, but Paraguay mix things up. Bonet comes in for the suspended Cacares in the obvious switch, where he will join the returning Alcaraz at the back.
0' EARLY TEAM NEWS
Remarkably, Japan manager Takeshi Okada had the luxury of naming an unchanged side for all three group games and is expected to stick with the same XI again. Paraguay will have to make a change, with Victor Caceres suspended, and Carlos Bonet is the likely man to come into midfield. Antolin Alcaraz has returned to training after injury and may also feature.
0' PREVIEW
Although not the most attractive last-16 clash on paper, Paraguay v Japan threatens to be a huge match after both teams excelled in the group stage. The South Americans topped a group including Italy and Slovakia, drawing against the 2006 World Champions, and conceded just one goal. Japan played some of the best football of the tournament as they finished ahead of Denmark and Cameroon in Group E. Japan have never progressed beyond the second round, but will see this as a major opportunity to do so, although both of these teams are likely to struggle against the winner of Spain v Portugal in the next round.
CommentaryTeam StatsPlayer Stats Shotchart
Teams
Paraguay
(4-3-3)
Justo Villar1
Carlos Bonet6
Paulo César Da Silva14
Antolín Alcaraz21
Claudio Morel Rodríguez3
Enrique Daniel Vera13
75' Néstor Ortigoza20
118' 120' Cristian Riveros16
94' Roque Santa Cruz9
120' Lucas Ramón Barrios19
60' Edgar Benítez10
Substitutes
Aldo Bobadilla22
Diego Barreto12
Julio César Cáceres5
Denis Caniza4
Darío Verón2
Aureliano Torres17
75' 120' Edgar Barreto8
Jonathan Santana11
94' 120' Oscar René Cardozo7
60' 120' Nelson Haedo Valdez18
Rodolfo Gamarra23
Japan
(4-5-1)
21Eiji Kawashima
3Yuichi Komano
22Yuji Nakazawa
4Marcus Tanaka
5Yuto Nagatomo 72'
17Makoto Hasebe 120' 
8Daisuke Matsui 58' 65'
2Yuki Abe 81'
7Yasuhito Endo 113' 120' 
16Yoshito Okubo 106'
18Keisuke Honda 90' 120' 
Substitutes
23Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi
1Seigo Narazaki
6Atsuto Uchida
13Daiki Iwamasa
15Yasuyuki Konno
14Kengo Nakamura 81'
10Shunsuke Nakamura
20Junichi Inamoto
9Shinji Okazaki 65'
11Keiji Tamada 106'
19Takayuki Morimoto
12Kisho Yano
Team Stats
Paraguay Japan
0 Goals 0
0 Assists 0
13 Shots 12
6 Shots on Goal 5
2 Saves 7
0 Penalties Scored 0
0 Penalty Kicks 0
26 Crosses 23
6 Corner Kicks 5
1 Offsides 1
26 Fouls Committed 29
1 Cautions/Yellow Cards 4
0 Red Cards 0
5 Shootout Results 3
CommentaryTeam StatsPlayer Stats Shotchart
Paraguay
No. Player G YC RC GA Svs
1J. Villar - 0 0 0 2
3C. Morel Rodríguez 0 0 0 - -
6C. Bonet 0 0 0 - -
9R. Santa Cruz 0 0 0 - -
10E. Benítez 0 0 0 - -
13E. Vera 0 0 0 - -
14P. Da Silva 0 0 0 - -
16C. Riveros 0 1 0 - -
19L. Barrios 0 0 0 - -
20N. Ortigoza 0 0 0 - -
21A. Alcaraz 0 0 0 - -
Substitutes
7O. Cardozo 0 0 0 - -
8E. Barreto 0 0 0 - -
18N. Haedo Valdez 0 0 0 - -

Japan
No. Player G YC RC GA Svs
21E. Kawashima - 0 0 0 7
2Y. Abe 0 0 0 - -
3Y. Komano 0 0 0 - -
4M. Tanaka 0 0 0 - -
5Y. Nagatomo 0 1 0 - -
7Y. Endo 0 1 0 - -
8D. Matsui 0 1 0 - -
16Y. Okubo 0 0 0 - -
17M. Hasebe 0 0 0 - -
18K. Honda 0 1 0 - -
22Y. Nakazawa 0 0 0 - -
Substitutes
9S. Okazaki 0 0 0 - -
11K. Tamada 0 0 0 - -
14K. Nakamura 0 0 0 - -
CommentaryTeam StatsPlayer Stats Shotchart

Players
No.Number
GGoals
AstAssists
SHTSShots
SOGShots on Goal
CKCorner Kicks
CRCrosses
OffOffsides
FCFouls Committed
FSFouls Suffered
YCYellow Cards
RCRed Cards
GAGoals Against
SvsSaves
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