It’s the final day of the Round of 16 at the 2010 World Cup. Four teams met in two even matches that would be closely fought. They were so closely fought that they were decided by a collective one goal. That’s because we had our first appearance of penalty kicks to decide a game.

Paraguay 0 (5) vs. Japan 0 (3) (PK) – It wasn’t the most glamorous of matches and definitely won’t go into the books as an instant classic but that doesn’t make this one mean any less for Paraguay. They held Japan scoreless for the first 120 minutes of action and took it home on penalty kicks. The win means that Paraguay will advance to their first World Cup quarterfinals. The difference was the Blue Samurai’s third penalty kick which Komano powered off the crossbar while Paraguay converted all five of their attempts. Mind you, Japan controlled most of the attack after a dull first half. They just weren’t able to find the finish and now find themselves out of the 2010 World Cup.

Spain 1 vs. Portugal 0 – In a game of offensive firepower and footballing creativity, it was the Portuguese defense that made headlines today. They seemed to find a way to have 11 men between the ball and the goal and to funnel La Furia Roja down the middle to limit their chances. But you can’t keep a good team down forever. In the 63rd minute, a series of quick passes ended at the feet of David Villa who took a couple of whacks before putting the ball in the net. That was all Spain needed as Portugal never seemed to find their attack in the second half. The win was sweet revenge for the defending European champs. The last time the two peninsular rivals met was at Euro 2004 with Portugal taking the 1-0 win. After a shaky opening game, La Furia Roja is finding their form and should easily dispatch Paraguay in the quarter-finals.

Man of the Day: David Villa (Spain) – 1 goal

Friday’s Schedule:
Netherlands vs. Brazil
Uruguay vs. Ghana