SB Nation World Cup 2010 -- Quarterfinals
+14
A Spain goal in the final minutes finally broke a scoreless tie and sent Paraguay home. The Spanish will now move on to face the Germans in Wednesday's semifinal.
Paraguay nearly drew even in the 89th minute, withe Lucas Barrios and Roque Santa Cruz testing Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas only to see the Spanish captain come-up with two answers to keep Spain ahead, 1-0.
Lucas Barrios was given a shot from the right of the penalty box at 16 yards out, his right-footed attempt fired directly at Casillas. Casillas left the rebound in front of goal, eight yards out, allowing Roque Santa Cruz to run-on for a shot. Casillas was able to close-down the space for Santa Cruz, saving the striker's attempt for an equalizer.
Spain remains ahead 1-0, the match now in the 95th minute.
In response to David Villa's goal, both coaches have made their final substitution.
Gerardo Martino has brought in a forward for a midfielder, with Lucas Barrios coming on for Victor Caceres.
For Spain, it's a like-for-like substitution, with Carlos Marchena coming in for Carles Puyol in central defense.
The substitutions were made in the 84th minute.
With the match now in the 91st minute, Spain still leads 1-0.
Spain has finally broken through Paraguay, with David Villa becoming the tournament's leading scorer, banging in a shot of both goal posts in the 83rd minute to give the tournament favorites a 1-0 lead.
From nine yards out, Villa gathered a Pedro shot that had come off the left post, putting a shot to the other side of goal. The striker's shot hit the inside of the right post, went along the goal line and hit the left post, and went in for the match's first goal.
It was Villa's fifth goal of the tournament, putting Spain within minutes of a meeting with Germany in Wednesday's semifinal.
Barcelona attacker Pedro has been brought on in the 75th minute of Spain's quarterfinal with Paraguay, deployed to the left side of attack as Xabi Alonso is withdrawn.
The substitution will entail a slight shift in formation for Vincente del Bosque's team, moving away from using two deep-sitting midfielders.
Spain and Paraguay remain scoreless into the 79th minute.
Paraguay coach Gerardo Martino has used his second substitution, bringing-off Nelson Valdez, who nearly scored in the first half, for Roque Santa Cruz.
Santa Cruz started the last match against Japan and comes into this match in the 73rd minute. He pairs with Óscar Cardozo at forward.
The match remains scoreless in the 75th minute.
Paraguay coach Gerardo Martino has made his first substitution, bringing on Enrique Vera for Edgar Barreto.
Enrique Vera has been a regular starter for Martino throughout the tournament but was left out of the starting XI today as Martino played a more narrow midfield. Vera, brought on in the 64th minute, can offer more of a wide presence on the right side of midfield.
Spain and Paraguay remain scoreless in the 71st minute.
One minute after Óscar Cardozo missed a penalty kick that would have given Paraguay the lead, Xabi Alonso beat Justo Villar to apparently put Spain in the lead.
Then, the kick was disallowed.
David Villa won a penalty kick when he was fouled from behind by Antolín Alcarez, the Paraguayan defender fortunate to avoid a last-man red card, only earning a yellow.
Alonso stepped-up and converted the penalty kick only to have it disallowed as three Spain players crossed into the arc before Alonso struck the kick.
The second kick was saved by Villar, who guessed correctly in diving to his left, keeping the match scoreless in the 61st minute.
The match is now in the 66th minute, still scoreless.
It was the perfect save by Iker Casillas, who guessed correctly on Oscar Cardozo's penalty kick, keeping Spain's match with Paraguay scoreless.
Cardozo had drawn the penalty (and a yellow card) on Gerard Piqué, the Spain defender pulled Cardozo's arm as the kick was taken.
Cardozo, who converted the final kick in Paraguay's penalty shootout against Japan, went right. Casillas guess correctly and caught the ball in his chest, saving the shot in the 59th minute.
Spain and Paraguay remain scoreless.
Vincente del Bosque has made his first change, against bringing Fernando Torres off early in the second half, bringing on midfielder Cesc Fabregas in the match's 57th minute.
Torres gave another sub-standard performance in his return from knee surgery. Fabregas's insertion will put David Villa bad in a striker's role, moving in from the left wing.
Paraguay has used pressure high in midfield to disrupt Spain's ability to get into attack, forcing Spain into a number of first half turnovers, keeping La Furia Roja from putting a shot on goal during a scoreless first half in Johannesburg.
Paraguay has the half's only shot, a Jonathan Santana roller from 20 yards out that was easily saved by Iker Casillas. The Parguayans also have the half's only goal, a Nelson Valdez tally that never was, the play having been whistled offside before the crowd's gasps.
Spain's closest chance came in the 29th minute, a volley from Xavi Hernández that nearly dipped into the upper left hand corner from 22 yards out. Spain, however, has been stifled by a Gerardo Martino set-up that's daring Spain to play wide (specifically, wide right), an approach the Spaniards have been reluctant to embrace.
The result has left Spain susceptible to the Paraguayan pressure through midfield, with Hernández often being forced to give-up the ball to Xabi Alonso and Sergio Busquets, who have been unable to get the favorites into attack.
Paraguay and Spain are scoreless through 23 minutes in Johannesburg thanks in large part to Gerardo Martino making sure Xavi Hernández does not have an easy time on the ball.
Martino's six lineup changes have been deployed in a 4-4-2 with a flat midfield and Jonathan Santana partnering Oscar Cardozo at forward. It's a straight-forward, almost vanilla formation, but the tactics, specifically how they're treating Spain's playmaker, has cause Spain to stall out to start the match.
Martino has his team exerting a lot of pressure on Xavi Hernández. Any time Hernández gets the ball - even if he's in his half of the field - Paraguay is doing everything they can to get the ball off his feet, even if the means running multiple people at the midfielder.
Xabi Alonso and Sergio Busquets have had to go more of the work to get Spain into attack. The result has seen Spain start the match slowly, now half-way through the first 45 and still without a shot on goal.
I had speculated pre-match that, based on personnel, Paraguay could set-up like Switzerland, in a very conservative 4-4-1-1. Through the first quarter of this match, Paraguay has shown a very anti-Switzerland approach.
Some would say Vincente del Bosque has confidence in his approach, while others would say he's being stubborn. Both groups would exhibit little surprise in the Spain coach's starting eleven, which includes Fernando Torres and the two deep-sitting midfielders he's used all tournament.
Spain Starting XI
G - Iker Casillas
LB - Joan Capdevilla
LCB - Gerard Piqué
RCB - Carles Puyol
RB - Sergio Ramos
DM - Sergio Busquets
M - Xabi Alonso
M - Xavi Hernández
RAM - Andrés Iniesta
LF - David Villa
F - Fernando Torres
Notes
With del Bosque intent on staying with this formation, the pressure will continue to grow on Fernando Torres to regain his form. After the team got a boost from Fernando Llorente last match, there had been minor speculation that Torres would be moved to the bench, with most thinking del Bosque will stick to his guns. The coach has remained loyal to El Niño. Those looking for Llorente to get more time can now fix their attention on Torres's performance.
Paraguay coach Gerardo Martino has made a number of changes for today's quarterfinal against Spain, making six changes to the lineup started against Japan in the Round of 16.
Dario Varón will start for Carlos Bonet at right back, the position expected to be opposite Spain's most dangerous player, David Villa.
In midfield, Victor Cáceres returns from suspension to assume his spot in the middle, pushing Néstor Ortigoza to the bench. Édgar Barreto, Nelson Valdez and Jonathan Santana join hold-over Cristian Riveros in a group that looks like it could set-up in a 4-5-1. Enrique Vera and Edgar Benítez find themselves on the bench as does Lucas Barrios as a result of the formation change.
At striker, Óscar Cardozo gets his second start of the tournament in place of Roque Santa Cruz.
Paraguay Starting XI
G - Justo Villar
LB - Claudio Morel
LCB - Antolín Alcaraz
RCB - Paulo Da Silva
RB - Dario Varón
M - Victor Cáceres
M - Édgar Barreto
M - Cristian Riveros
M/F - Nelson Valdez
M/F - Jonathan Santana
F - Óscar Cardozo
Notes
This could set-up as 4-5-1 but could also set-up like Switzerland's 4-4-1-1 that beat Spain in the first round of Group H play. If that happens, look for Nelson Valdez to occupy the level below Cardozo with Santana and Barreto occupying the wide midfield positions along side Cáceres and Riveros.
For the second major tournament in a row, and anticipated Brazil-Spain final has been derailed. This year, it’s Brazil bowing out early, but whereas the Seleção had only one match to navigate after Spain's elimination from the Confederations Cup, Spain is still three matches away from their first World Cup.
But the whispers that we’ve heard since the Switzerland loss have persisted through Spain’s three ensuing wins. Is Fernando Torres healthy? Is David Villa playing where he should be? Why is Spain using two deep-sitting midfielders? Why aren’t they attacking with more aggression?
Today’s match against Paraguay is coach Vincente del Bosque’s last chance to answer those questions before the semifinals, where their competition steps-up to the highest level. That assumes Spain can get past Gerardo Martino’s team, a team which, unlike Spain, has not lost in this year’s World Cup.
Spain, Going Forward: Del Bosque has moved David Villa out to the left, switching his formation from using two forwards (with Villa supporting Fernando Torres) to a lone striker and a winger. Villa has no meaningful defensive responsibilities so it can still be though of as a 4-4-2, if an asymmetrical one.
The change gives Spain a new option. Whereas before they were heavily dependent on what they were able to build through Xavi Hernández and (when healthy) Andrés Iniesta, now the Spanish can play the ball out left and let Villa try to win an individual battle against the opposing team’s right back. Should he prove himself able to do so, that forces the opposition to provide help, which could open the midfield for Hernández.
But just because Spain has additional options does not mean they are better off; in fact, the debate in Spain seems to center on the implicit question of why the team is not playing to the lofty standards set during the 2008 European Championships. The need for change itself seems to hint that something has gone awry. The question is whether the current set-up can replicate Spain’s best results and if not, can they get by without it.
Paraguay, Going Forward: Paraguay has gone 214 minutes without a goal, a difficult statistic to digest when you look at a team that features Lucas Barrios, Roque Santa Cruz, Nelson Valdez and Oscar Cardozo. The reason: a lack of midfield play, and thus no way to get through a a New Zealand team with seven defensive players or a Japan team that can control the middle of the pitch.
That is not to say Paraguay has no midfielders. Cristian Riveros, Enrique Vera, Nestor Ortigoza and the returning Victor Cáceres are fine players, but cast into a conservative approach and about to kick-off against the most talented set of midfielders in the world, a match with Spain is not the place where you’d expect a break-out from the Paraguayan midfield.
With Paraguay likely to try and stay tight at the back and try to use Switzerland and the United States’ formula to beat Spain, Vera down the right side may be Martino’s best chance of getting the ball to his talented striking core.
How The Match Turns:If Spain can limit the counterattacking chances, they should have no problem seeing Paraguay out of the competition. They would make life easier for themselves if they showed more decisiveness in the final third than they’ve shown through four matches. This gets us into the "is Fernando Torres" healthy debate; regardless, Spain can end this match early with some bravery in Parguay’s end.
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
Scoreboard data copyright © 2012 by STATS LLC. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC is strictly prohibited.
OpenCalais - Powered by Thomson Reuters
•
Odds Shark 
World Cup 2010, Spain Vs. Paraguay: David Villa Goal Allows Spain To Avoid Upset
Three fruitless close calls for Paraguay allowed David Villa's 83rd minute goal to stand-up, giving Spain a 1-0 win over the Paraguayans and a spot in Wednesday's semifinal against Germany.
Villa's tournament-leading fifth goal was put in from seven yards out, hitting both posts before crossing the line, giving the tournament favorites a pass over a Paraguay team who finished the tournament having gone its last 304 minutes without scoring a goal.
Three times within the match, that looked to change, as Paraguay threatened to break their streak and knock-out the Spaniards.
The first threat came toward the end of the first half when Nelson Valdez looked to have scored only for Paraguay to be whistled offside. Replays showed Óscar Cardozo was beyond the line at the time the ball was played.
The second threat came at the beginning of a chaotic sequence that started in the 59th minute when Gerard Piqué grabbed the arm of Cardozo as the Paraguayan striker tried to move in anticipation of a set piece. A yellow card was shown the Spanish defender and Paraguay was given a penalty kick.
Cardozo, who converted the final kick in the Round of 16 shootout against Japan, went right, where Iker Casillas had drove. The Spain goalkeeper caught the shot against his chest, keeping the match scoreless.
One minute later, Spain was awarded a penalty kick, with Paraguayan defender Antolín Alcaraz fouling David Villa after the Spanish attacker was put behind the defense. Alcaraz avoided a red card, but Paraguay did not avoid giving Spain a penalty kick.
Xabi Alonso converted the first attempt, but the kick was ordered retaken when multiple Spanish players encroached across the arc at the top of the penalty area. Alonso's second kick was saved by Justo Villar, and the match moved on from the 61st minute scoreless.
The final Paraguay chance came in the 89th minute when Lucas Barrios's shot form the right of goal was parried by Iker Casillas, but the rebound left Roque Santa Cruz with a shot from eight yards out. Casillas closed-down the space in time to prevent the equalizer and preserve Spain's 1-0 win.
Spain moves on to a semifinal match-up with Germany, who defeated Argentina earlier today. That match will take place on Wednesday, with the winner moving on to July 11th's final, to face either the Netherlands or Uruguay.
Jul 03 5:14p by Richard Farley - 1 comment