Round of 16. Match 7: Paraguay 0-0 Japan - Paraguay win on penalties

This was a tightly fought match memorable for its intensity if not its action, which in truth produced very few chances or particularly noteworthy action. Paraguay looked more likely to score but found it difficult to breach a watertight Japanese defence. The centre-back pairing of Tulio and Nakazawa thwarted anything that Paraguay threw at them, which was nowhere near enough considering the talent they have at their disposal. Paraguay appeared comfortable on defence as Japan looked devoid of any real ideas to penetrate the Paraguay goal.

There were periods of nice play from both sides but true creativity was hard to come by. Many parts of the game were highly tactical that few neutrals would be excited by. Naturally there were some opportunities: Matsui, Japan's most impressive attacking player on the day, hit the crossbar from distance, Barrios (who along with Riveros were the best Paraguayans going forward) made a sublime turn only to see his shot saved.

Extra-time continued in the same vein as the match drifted to its inexorable conclusion: World Cup 2010's first penalty shoot-out. Komano was the only player to miss (hitting the crossbar) to see Paraguay reach the quarter-final for the first time in their history.

Preview of Round of 16. Match 7: Paraguay v Japan

This is La Albirroja versus the Blue Samarai. This is South America versus Asia's final representative, made all the more interesting by virtue of the fact that an Asian side has never beaten a South American side at a World Cup. These are two teams that have never got past the Round of 16. Paraguay have been in this position four times, Japan only once (and that in their own continent). But for one of them - this is about to change! I should also add that neither of them has even scored a goal in the second round!

Both come into the knock-out range with confidence. Paraguay believe this is their best ever team, they finished only one point behind Brazil in qualifying and they finished unbeated top of Group F. Japan's manager Takeshi Okada stated before the World Cup that they would make the semi-finals and they've certainly looked the best Asian team at the tournament. For both teams however it is hard to know whether they looked good because they really were that good or because their opposition didn't perform to potential at the tournament.

Paraguay looked very assured and skilful against Italy, completely dominated Slovakia and did enough against New Zealand to score the requisite point. Japan narrowly defeated Cameroon in a poor game, suffered a narrow loss against Netherlands before playing an excellent game against Denmark, defeating them 3-1.

Head-to-head: They have played each other on six occasions - Paraguay winning twice, Japan and there have been three draws. Paraguay's wins have been in the 2004 Olympic Games and the 1999 Copa America.

Suspensions: Caceres is unfortunately suspended for Paraguay. Vera and Santa Cruz (Paraguay) are one booking short of a suspension as are Abe, Endo, Nagatomo (Japan).

Key players

Paraguay: Alcarez has impressed in defence, Vera has been one of the most enterprising players in South Africa and scored a delightful goal against Slovakia. Santa Cruz will need to start showing why he is considered the star of the team.

Japan: Honda is their inspirational captain and in fine form. Endo is another one with a big talent. Often employed as a defensive midfielder he has a brilliant creative pass. Tulio is an imposing and effective 6 foot tall centre-back.

Expectations: Paraguay have a stellar defence who have conceded only once in South Africa and had the second best defensive record in South American qualifying. But it is also true to say that Japan are quite miserly having conceded twice in South Africa and with a good defensive record in qualifying. Perhaps then it will be a low scoring match? I certainly expect them to spend a while feeling each other out. Paraguay do love to attack but the likes of Santa Cruz, Barrios and Cardozo have not really demonstrated much of this in South Africa. Perhaps tonight is the night that they really let their South American flair go wild. Japan will be neat and quick in possession and potentially lethal from free-kicks. It should be a fascinating contest. Paraguay are favourites, and rightfully so, but this could easily go either way...

Group E final group games

Japan 3-1 Denmark

Japan went into the game knowing a draw would be enough for them to qualify. Denmark knew they needed a win. The equation was fairly simple.

Denmark and Japan both traded early opportunities which both were unlucky to convert but fairly early in the first half it was Japan who took the lead. Given a free kick on the right hand side from 35 yards out Honda hit it with blistering pace and swerve and the ball nestled in the top left hand corner of the net. Sorensen moved the wrong way initially before diving full stretch, missing his outstretched fingers by a whisker. You have to feel a little sympathy for Sorensen - the flight of the ball was deceiving and one wonders how much influence the Jabulani ball had on the swerve. Nevertheless it was a wonderful free-kick in a tournament devoid of quality free-kick goals.

The Netherlands didn't learn their lesson and conceded another free-kick - this time more central and closer to the box. Endo stepped up and curled it beautifully round the wall, Sorensen had no chance. From 2-0 down it was a long way back given that Denmark now needed 3 goals. Endo had another free-kick from a massive distance in the second half and he almost did a 2002 World Cup quarter-final Brazil v England Ronaldinho special. Sorensen was Seaman on this occasion and he would have been delighted to get just enough hand to the floating ball to guide it onto the crossbar. Very close and very nervy though.

Tomasson had opportunities to pull the score back, one in particular saw him in a great position only to scuff his shot. But overall Denmark did not show enough in attack. Their supposedly creative team with a strong defence that had aided them so well through qualification was lacking. Larsen managed a fantastic volley against the bar and with ten minutes remaining Denmark had a life-line as they were awarded a penalty. Tomasson did his best to miss as Kawashima saved, only for Tomasson to bundle home the rebound and equal a Danish goalscoring record. 

Honda completed the job however, setting up Okazaki after taking it past one and slipping the ball across to him. It was sumptuous from Honda, only emphasising a masterful display from him. Japan eased into the second round, taking 2nd spot.

Netherlands 2-1 Cameroon

The Netherlands knew they only needed a draw to guarantee top spot and Cameroon knew they were only playing for pride having already been eliminated. Cameroon therefore took the opportunity to blood some youngsters, and a number of them impressed. The Netherlands played well, demonstrating neat and clever interplay that created a good number of chances. This finally paid off in the 36th minute after a sublime one-two between van Persie and van der Waart ended in a crisp finish for van Persie.

Cameroon played some quality football which resulted in a number of opportunities that the Netherlands did well to thwart. When the equaliser finally came it was from the spot. Eto'o converted clinically after a hand ball.

When the Netherlands winner came it was quite special. Sneijder set up the attack with a quality through ball, Robben's poor touch looked to have taken the ball away but he created space for himself, hit a fantastic shot against the post and Huntelaar slotted into an open goal - from a tight angle.

The Netherlands have nine points from nine and don't appear to have hit their straps. Cameroon were very weak in their opening game but probably deserved to register at least one point at the World Cup.

Group E permutations

What is required to progress from Group E?

Netherlands: Qualification is already confirmed and they only need a draw with Cameroon to confirm top spot. How can they miss out on top spot and get second instead? This requires Cameroon to win and either Japan to overcome a 3 goal deficit or Denmark to overcome a 4 goal deficit. In either scenario if goal difference and goals scored are tied Netherlands will still finish top.

Denmark require a win over Japan to qualify. In this case they will finish second unless they can achieve a 4 or 5 goal swing. Unfortunately for Denmark their star centre-back Simon Kjaer is suspended for the game. They must hope Poulsen doesn't repeat errors from the earlier games.

Japan only require a draw over Denmark to qualify. Win or draw they will finish second unless they can achieve a 3 or 4 goal swing.

Cameroon are eliminated.

Group E's second set of games

Netherlands 1-0 Japan

The Netherlands ultimately had a straight forward win but they were made to work hard for it. We still haven't seen the vintage Dutch they are capable of but perhaps they are saving that for later in the competition. The first half was largely forgettable, the odd chance for either side went begging. Early in the second half, a few minutes after van Persie missed a beautifully crafted chance, Sneijder pounced on a loose ball and smashed a ferocious shot from 20+ yards - Narazaki got a fair bit on his attempted save but it wasn't enough, instead diverting its path slightly and hitting the empty net. Perhaps he should have done better but few could surely blame him for a shot that was just too hot to handle. Second half sub for Holland, Afellay, impressed - although he had two wonderful opportunities to increase the lead at the death, but was denied. Japan had played their part in the game but had not really created enough to possess a sustained challenge.

Denmark 2-1 Cameroon

This was perhaps the most open game of the tournament. It was end-to-end stuff with plenty of chances to both sides, helped by the often appalling defending. Cameroon had thankfully got their personnel and tactics right this time. Alex Song was back in the starting eleven and Eto'o was given a more central role. This paid dividends when Cameroon opened the scoring early. Poulsen (who had been guilty of the own goal against Japan) played a slack pass that enabled Webo to nip in and feed Eto'o for a nice finish. For Cameroon Eto'o and Emana had top games and Webo was good value except for his woeful shooting.

Denmark's first goal was a gorgeous move. Kjaer played an inch perfect downfield diagonal pass to Rommedahl on the right wing who squared it perfectly into the path of Bendtner to finish. The second goal Bendtner set up Rommedahl for a superb finish. Tomasson was disappointing as he was unable to find the back of the net, criminally wasting some excellent opportunities - and thereby failing to equal Poul Nielsen's 85 year record of 52 goals for Denmark.

Both sides were creative, had chances, missed sitters, had good interplay, scored nice goals in an intriguing match that could have gone either way.

Unluckily for Cameroon it resulted in elimination from the tournament.

Group E opening games

Netherlands 2-0 Denmark

The Netherlands have some of the best attackers in the world eg van Persie, van der Waart, Sneijder etc. They are usually fluid and exciting as well. In this game however they were not so fluent or fluid and instead it was a workmanlike Dutch performance. The Danes were even less threatening on attack. Having said that there were still opportunities for both sides and the Dutch showed occasional flashes of why we rate them so highly. The first goal came from an own goal. Poulsen headed it into his own goal from a van Persie cross (brushing the back of Agger). The second goal was a lovely move with a simple finish for Kuyt. Even the 18 year old Erikksen for Denmark couldn't quite light up proceedings for them. A bit of talent and quality experience from them from time to time but a largely forgettable performance by them.

Japan 1-0 Cameroon

The big talking points for me were 1) Samuel Eto'o being deployed on the right wing and 2) Alex Song not in the starting eleven (or even coming on as a sub). Eto'o couldn't get into the game often enough from right wing and lacked goalscoring opportunities from there. He still played well in that position, and I remember one instant when he eluded two defenders to make a good cross, but I hardly believe it is the best way to utilise the skills of their star man. I'm sure Le Guen has his reasons for not picking Alex Song but for me it was a shame as whenever I have seen him play he usually impresses me. It is telling that the closest Cameroon came to a goal was when right-back Mbia hit the crossbar.

Japan were nothing flash although they played a decent game. Their goal came out of nowhere and was a nice simple finish for Honda (after some shocking marking from Cameroon). Honda played well in midfield for Japan.

In truth it was a fairly pedestrian and weak game.

Group E preview

Cameroon

Strengths: Samuel Eto'o is one of the best strikers in the world. He has a strike rate of a little worse than one every two games and has consistently scored a lot of goals for big European sides such as Barcelona (where he was particularly prolific) and Inter Milan. His likely strike partner Webo is also talented, and has scored important goals for his country. Alex Song is a quality midfielder for Arsenal and takes on a more creative role for Cameroon than he does for his club side. Providing Cameroon are organised and keep good shape they do have good defenders including Spurs duo Assou-Ekotto and Bassong.

Weaknesses: One criticism often (with a degree of validity) levelled at Cameroon is that they are a one man team. It is certainly true that Eto'o's performances are crucial to the side - when he is in great form they are much more likely to win. There is also an element of petulance about Eto'o that may not be good for morale. Cameroon legend Roger Milla criticised Eto'o for not playing as well for Cameroon as he does in domestic football - Eto'o responded with a tantrum, threatening to walk out on the team. If he does play worse for Cameroon it is probably because he doesn't get the quality of service that he did say at Barcelona. Cameroon have often appeared disorganised in defence and the quality of some of their personnel is questionable. Their form in the friendlies has also been patchy.

Formation: It is very hard to pin down what their formation is likely to be at the World Cup. It may even change depending on the opposition. My pick is a 4-4-2 with the midfield 4 in a diamond but I could be completely wrong. In the recent friendly against Serbia they played 3-4-3 which resulted in goals and shaky defence (hence a 4-3 loss).

Manager: Former French international Paul Le Guen. As a manager he has been hit and miss. He led Lyon to 3 consecutive Ligue 1 titles and the Champions League quarterfinals in 2004. He has struggled for consistency with Rangers and PSV however. He took over in July 2009 when Cameroon were in grave danger of missing out on World Cup 2010 and turned things around to achieve qualification.

Qualification: In their final qualifying group Cameroon qualified comfortably in the end - 4 points ahead of Gabon. It was a lot tighter than the final points table suggested - a shocking start necessitated a change of manager in order to bring about a change of fortunes.

World Cup pedigree: Cameroon first qualified for the World Cup in 1982. They battled well to 3 draws (against Italy, Peru and Poland) which was not enough to qualify for the next round. The only other tournaments they have played in are the four consecutive world cup finals of 1990, 1994, 1998 and 2002. The only time they have progressed beyond the first round was in 1990 when they shocked and charmed the world reaching the quarter-finals defeating Argentina, Romania and Columbia on the way. (Check out an earlier blog post for more on their efforts in 1990 and the wonders of the legend Roger Mila).

Chance of progression from Group E: 50%, might just miss out.

Denmark

Strengths: There has been precious little about Denmark's chances at the 2010 World Cup. I feel they have been somewhat glossed over when this is possibly Denmark's best squad ever to come to a World Cup and is the very same Denmark who finished top of their qualifying group that included both Portugal and Sweden. I'm not even saying I'm very confident of them making the next round but I do think commentators haven't done them justice. Denmark has a strong defence which builds from the back. Agger and Kjaer are a strong centre-back pairing and both are composed on the ball. Christian Eriksen is 18 and the youngest player at the 2010 World Cup. He is rated as the next Laudrup (after the Danish legends Brian and Michael Laudrup) and this link explains why. He has only played 3 times for Denmark, I hope he gets an opportunity to show why Martin Jol rates him so highly. Tomasson is a quality and prolific goalscorer although it appears that Bendtner if fit may lead the line ahead of rather than alongside him. Tomasson and Rommedahl are both in the twilight of their careers but still exude quality.

Weaknesses: Denmark are struggling with a few injuries. Players have missed recently friendlies and are all battling to be fit for their opener with the Netherlands. These players include Kahlenberg, Kjaer, Tomasson, Sorenson and Bendtner. Denmark lacks strength in depth in a number of positions. They also have a number of solid personnel who will work hard and are technically good players but few of these players can be considered top class individuals who can change a game in an instant. In other words most of their players are what I would classify as second tier players. Also their form in the friendlies hasn't been particularly inspiring.

Formation: I believe Denmark have been contemplating whether to go with a 4-4-2 or a 4-3-2-1. Ultimately I think they may go with the former.

Manager: Morten Olsen has been manager of the Danish side for ten years. He also played approximately 19 years for the national team. He has a lot of experience and should have a steady and calming influence on his players as he will no doubt have seen it all!

Qualification: Denmark finished first in their qualifying group - ahead of both Portugal and Sweden. They beat Sweden home and away and ended up winning their group comfortably.

World Cup pedigree: Denmark have only competed in 3 World Cups: 1986, 1998 and 2002. On each occasion they got past through the group stage and in 1998 even made the quarterfinals.

Chance of progression from Group E: 60%, will probably finish second.

Japan

Strengths: Japan's greatest quality is in their ability to keep possession. They move it around, playing neat and tidy possession football almost as well as the top teams. They also boast a strong central defensive partnership of Marcus Tulio and Yuji Nakazawa. Honda is Japan's most exciting player. A creative midfielder playing at CSKA Moscow Japan will look to him to create plenty of goalscoring opportunities. Nakamura is another threat from midfield - with 24 goals in 95 games he is clearly dangerous in the attacking third. Both Honda and Nakamura are renowned for their free kick prowess. Japan have a lot of experience in their national squad - seven of them have over 70 international caps, 2 over 100.

Weaknesses: Japan's greatest weakness is in attack as they clearly lack players likely to penetrate the best defences. Their biggest hope in this area is Shinji Okazaki who scored 15 in his first 20 appearances although he only managed 1 in his next 8. Okazaki is supposed to have excellent composure and creativity. All the rest of Japan's strikers have a poor strike-rate and will have to take their game to another level if they are to profit in South Africa. They have lost their last three friendlies and have only scored 1 goal in their last 5 games. Clearly they find it difficult to translate possession into goals. Also 19 out of their 23 man squad play domestically in Japan which is a league not well known for it's strength. Time will tell how good the J League is.

Formation: Likely to be 4-1-4-1. If so expect Okazaki to get too isolated upfront. Nakamura may also have to settle for a place on the bench.

Manager: Takeshi Okada is in his second spell as Japan's manager and also played in the national side for 5 years in the 80's.

Qualification: Japan finished in the second automatic qualifying spot in their qualification (behind Australia) and only lost one game in their group (winning 4 and drawing 3).

World Cup pedigree: Japan made their first World Cup in 1998 and have qualified ever since. In 1998 and 2006 they didn't make it through the group stage - in 1998 they lost all 3 games by one goal and in 2006 they picked up a solitary point thanks to a 0-0 draw with Croatia. In 2002 (when they co-hosted the World Cup with South Korea) they made it through to the second round where they lost to eventual 3rd place finishers Turkey.

Chance of progression from Group E: 40%, won't disgrace themselves but probably won't progress.

Netherlands

Strengths: The Netherlands have a team packed with attacking flair and talent. Names like Robben, van Persie, van der Waart and Sneijder are all capable of putting any international side to the sword. The Dutch play beautiful, thrilling, fluid, exciting and majestic attacking football of the highest order. At least, that is what they are capable of. The Netherlands are certainly capable of winning the World Cup but we do seem to say that every time.

Weaknesses: The Netherlands have a slightly suspect defence. The individuals that make up their back 4 are probably the weakest individuals in the team. The key for them is making sure they are cohesive. This at least can paper over the cracks. Robben is under an injury cloud after suffering an injury in a recent friendly, he is expected to be fit at least by the second game. Others like van Persie have had an injury plagued season they will be hoping to put behind them.

Formation: The Netherlands are likely to play a 4-2-3-1/4-2-1-3 formation. There is speculation that they will attempt to play their fab 4 (Robben, van Persie, Sneijder and van der Waart) together which is a sight rarely seen. However Kuyt may have something to say about that. A more limited footballer he provides more defensive qualities and can still pop up with goals. The Dutch are likely to play 2 holding midfielders in van Bommel and de Jong which will allow the fullbacks a bit more freedom to link up with the attack.

Manager: Bert van Marjwik has been involved in management in some capacity for around 18 years. He won the UEFA Cup with Feyenoord in 2002 and this is his first foray into international management (which started in 2008). It's a reasonable CV but to be honest it's not great. Let's hope for the Dutch sake he comes up trumps!

Qualification: The Netherlands finished first in their fairly straight forward qualifying group, winning every game.

World Cup pedigree: The Netherlands are playing in their ninth world cup. In 1934 and 1938 they didn't make it past the group stage. They were then in the footballing wilderness for 36 years, not qualifying for another tournament until 1974. Then in both 1974 and 1978 the Netherlands reached the final only to lose to Germany and Argentina respectively. It remains a travesty that they did not win either as they played their brand of spectacular 'total football'. I would quite happily have them right these wrongs in 2010 and win the whole thing. In their other four world cups the Netherlands reached the second round twice, the quarters once and 4th place in 1998.

Chance of progression from Group E: 90%, probably in first place.