CAPE TOWN, South Africa —
Spain spent most of the night trying to break through Portugal’s defense. David Villa finally did it.
Villa scored off his own rebound in the 63rd minute, giving the European champions a 1-0 victory Tuesday that put them into the World Cup quarterfinals.
In a game where Spain dominated possession and outshot the Portuguese, Villa took Xavi Hernandez’s heel pass. But his left-footed shot was saved by Portuguese goalkeeper Eduardo.
Villa then fired the rebound with his right foot off the underside of the crossbar and into the net — his fourth goal of the tournament.
“It was one of my best goals because it got us through to the next round,” Villa said. “Keep scoring so we can keep going.”
Spain plays Paraguay in the quarterfinals Saturday.
While Villa is tied for the lead in scoring at the World Cup, it was a disappointing tournament for Cristiano Ronaldo, the world’s most expensive player. His only goal came late in Portugal’s 7-0 rout of North Korea in group play, and he had a quiet night against Spain.
Spain was about teamwork, and it showed from the start. Fernando Torres and Villa immediately moved down the left, looking to exploit Portugal’s defensive weakness at right back, where Ricardo Costa struggled. Within the first seven minutes, Eduardo had to make three quality saves on angled shots from Spain’s two strikers to keep Portugal in the game.
Spain moved on to an intricate passing game through the center of the field. Once Portugal’s defense settled in, it frustrated the Spanish, reducing them to long-range attempts by Gerard Pique.
Still, Villa knew a goal was coming.
“We never lost our confidence,” Villa said. “We know the potential we have and what we can give.”
It was the 33rd time the Iberian neighbors met, but the first time in the World Cup. Spain has won 16 of the matches to Portugal’s five.
Paraguay 0 (5), Japan 0 (3)
PRETORIA, South Africa — The last thing Paraguay wanted was to wind up in a shootout with Japan. After all, the South Americans almost never practice penalty kicks — or have any success when they do.
Yet Paraguay took the most difficult route to its first appearance in the World Cup quarterfinals. After 120 exhausting minutes without scoring, the Paraguayans found their touch in penalty kicks, making all five to eliminate Japan.
Oscar Cardozo clinched the 5-3 shootout win after a 0-0 draw with a low left-footed drive past goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima. The only miss in the shootout was by Japan defender Yuichi Komano on the third try when he hit the crossbar. That made the difference.
The Associated Press
