Spain were forced to work harder than expected to beat Paraguay 1-0 on Saturday as they reached the last four at the World Cup for the first time since 1950 in a dramatic match in which both sides missed a penalty.
The quarterfinal at Ellis Park exploded into life in the second-half with both goalkeepers saving spot kicks before Spain striker David Villa pounced in the 83rd minute to keep his team in with a chance of lifting the trophy for the first time.
Villa is now the tournament’s top scorer with five goals.
“It’s a good moment for Spanish football,” said coach Vicente del Bosque, who now has to plot a repeat of Spain’s 2008 European championship final win over Germany knowing they will have to raise their game to match their sparkling opponents. It was tough for Paraguay, playing in their first World Cup quarterfinal, after they succeeded in nullifying Spain’s talented strike-force and created chances of their own, defying predictions of an easy workout for the European champions. Read more…
