Paraguay sneak through on penalties
Paraguay beat Japan 5-3 on penalties to reach the World Cup quarter-finals.
Paraguay beat Japan 5-3 on penalties to reach the World Cup quarter-finals.
The last-16 tie had ended 0-0 after 90 minutes and extra-time. Oscar Cardozo netted the winning kick after Yuichi Komano missed Japan’s third kick to send the Paraguayans through to the last eight for the first time in their history.
Japan missed their chance of going beyond the last 16 for the first time.
The 0-0 normal-time tie became the first match in this year’s tournament to go to penalties. Both teams came into the match on the brink of making history as neither nation has ever qualified for the quarter-finals.
After a sterile clash in regulation time, even an extra 30 minutes was not enough to produce a goal as the occasion and weight of expectation seemed to get to both sets of players.
Yoshito Okubo had an early chance for the Asian side but shot well wide while at the other end Edgar Benitez could not keep his header down from Roque Santa Cruz’s inviting cross.
The game briefly exploded into life on 21 minutes as Paraguay striker Lucas Barrios sneaked in behind the defence with a lovely little drag back to beat his marker but then he prodded his shot straight at goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima.
Less than 60 seconds later Daisuke Matsui ran onto a loose ball and tried his luck from distance only to see his curler crash against the Paraguay crossbar.
On 29 minutes Manchester City striker Santa Cruz should have done better when the ball dropped to him 12 yards out, but he rushed his left foot volley and dragged the ball wide.
Japan star Keisuke Honda set his sights five minutes from the break but his left-foot effort from 20 yards drifted wide.
At the start of the second period Nestor Ortigoza seemed to have opened up the Japanese defence to create a shooting opportunity but Yuto Nagatomo slid in to make a goal-saving block. Yuji Nakazawa was next to dive in and block a goalbound effort from Benitez as Paraguay started to turn the screw.
Cristian Riveros then met a Claudio Morel cross with a firm header but it went straight at Kawashima. Five minutes into extra-time there was finally a shot on target as Barrios’s header from Morel’s cross landed in Kawashima’s arms. Nelson Valdez then turned sharply on the edge of the box to create a half chance but Kawashima darted out to smother his poked effort.
Up the other end Paraguay captain Justo Villar palmed away a fizzing Honda free-kick.
Japan had a late opportunity on the counter attack but after Shinji Ozakazi’s backheel released Keiji Tamada the Nagoya Grampus Eight forward inexplicably opted to cross instead of shoot and the chance went begging.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 30th, 2010.
The last-16 tie had ended 0-0 after 90 minutes and extra-time. Oscar Cardozo netted the winning kick after Yuichi Komano missed Japan’s third kick to send the Paraguayans through to the last eight for the first time in their history.
Japan missed their chance of going beyond the last 16 for the first time.
The 0-0 normal-time tie became the first match in this year’s tournament to go to penalties. Both teams came into the match on the brink of making history as neither nation has ever qualified for the quarter-finals.
After a sterile clash in regulation time, even an extra 30 minutes was not enough to produce a goal as the occasion and weight of expectation seemed to get to both sets of players.
Yoshito Okubo had an early chance for the Asian side but shot well wide while at the other end Edgar Benitez could not keep his header down from Roque Santa Cruz’s inviting cross.
The game briefly exploded into life on 21 minutes as Paraguay striker Lucas Barrios sneaked in behind the defence with a lovely little drag back to beat his marker but then he prodded his shot straight at goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima.
Less than 60 seconds later Daisuke Matsui ran onto a loose ball and tried his luck from distance only to see his curler crash against the Paraguay crossbar.
On 29 minutes Manchester City striker Santa Cruz should have done better when the ball dropped to him 12 yards out, but he rushed his left foot volley and dragged the ball wide.
Japan star Keisuke Honda set his sights five minutes from the break but his left-foot effort from 20 yards drifted wide.
At the start of the second period Nestor Ortigoza seemed to have opened up the Japanese defence to create a shooting opportunity but Yuto Nagatomo slid in to make a goal-saving block. Yuji Nakazawa was next to dive in and block a goalbound effort from Benitez as Paraguay started to turn the screw.
Cristian Riveros then met a Claudio Morel cross with a firm header but it went straight at Kawashima. Five minutes into extra-time there was finally a shot on target as Barrios’s header from Morel’s cross landed in Kawashima’s arms. Nelson Valdez then turned sharply on the edge of the box to create a half chance but Kawashima darted out to smother his poked effort.
Up the other end Paraguay captain Justo Villar palmed away a fizzing Honda free-kick.
Japan had a late opportunity on the counter attack but after Shinji Ozakazi’s backheel released Keiji Tamada the Nagoya Grampus Eight forward inexplicably opted to cross instead of shoot and the chance went begging.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 30th, 2010.