Spain beat Paraguay 1-0 on Saturday but they left it late and the South Americans have every reason to feel they could have snatched an upset for a place in the semi-finals. Despite occasionally looking careless at the back, the Paraguayans managed to break up the careful Spanish passing game with heavy pressure in the midfield and looked dangerous on the counter, creating several fine chances. Better finishing might have knocked out the reigning European champions who, surprisingly, advance to the World Cup semifinal for the very first time in their history.
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Once again, Spain’s star attacker Fernando Torres seemed off-the-pace, an assessment which has become something of a refrain at this tournament, but his strike-partner Villa and the midfielders Xavi and Iniesta were as sharp as ever. Barcelona’s Xavi had the most beautiful attempt of the night, flicking the ball over his own head before turning wonderfully and striking the ball on the half-volley from distance just over Villar’s goal.
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After this, the game took on a much more controversial air. The trouble started when Nelson Haedo Valdez’s goal off Barreto’s deep right-wing cross was disallowed, whether for off-side or handball was not immediately clear, prompting a furious reaction from Paraguay’s coach Martino on the side-lines. Valdez was guilty of neither crime but his strike partner Cardozo, who went up for the header but made no contact with the ball, was in an off-side position and, according to the linesman, involved enough in the play to warrant the goal’s invalidation. It all seemed irrelevant, however, in the 59th minute when Pique, who had an unusually clumsy game at the back for Spain, clearly dragged down Cardozo by his arm on a Paraguayan corner. Up stepped the Benfica hit-man to open the scoring but his penalty was too close to Casillas and the Spaniard pulled off an admirable diving save, clutching the ball gratefully to his chest.
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He immediately released it down the field where Villa took possession in the Paraguayan box before going down—some would say rather easily—from the challenge of Alcaraz. Two penalties in the space of a minute! Xabi Alonso stepped up confidently and finished with ease. But referee Mr. Buastes demanded that he take it again, pointing out that a Spanish player had illegally encroached into the box. Never mind that several players had done the same on Cardozo’s earlier miss or that several more would repeat the offense on Alonso’s second take, which Villar skillfully managed to beat away. Paraguay somehow survived the ensuing goal-mouth scramble though Villar did seem to bring down Fabregas. But the referee was not interested in awarding yet another spot-kick.
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The game continued deadlocked until the 81st when skillful little Iniesta, clearly back to full-fitness after an injury-riddled season with Barcelona, danced his way through the heart of the Paraguayan defense, avoiding two lumbering sliding tackles, before laying it off to a wide-open Pedro. But the Barca youngster’s shot came back off the far-post. Luckily for Spain, it rebounded to Villa, a man who always seems to be in the right place at the right time. To everyone’s amazement, Villa’s lofted shot careened from the right post to the left before finally crossing the goal-line. Three posts and in! Paraguay had a chance to equalize when Casillas spilled Argentina-born Barrios’ hard-hit shot right into the path of Santa Cruz. But the ‘keeper stood tall and managed to block the substitute’s goal-bound effort with a strong right foot. Spain held on for a crucial 1-0 win to set up a semifinal meeting with high-flying Germany.
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These Guys Really Care Moment: Cardozo, the lanky striker who missed a crucial penalty for Paraguay, weeping inconsolably into his jersey after the final whistle, angrily pushing away his teammates and the Spanish players who came over to comfort him, his head hanging in shame, forlorn and absolutely all alone.