Paraguay vs Japan – match decided on penalties
Published:In the first penalty shoot out of the competition, Paraguay managed to win the war of the nerves, after what had been a match of defence triumphing over attack.
Paraguay now have odds of 25/1 to win the tournament.
Like two well-matched boxers slugging it out, penalties looked pretty inevitable early on, as the sides started relatively well, then became increasingly cautious and cagey as things progressed.
Both teams were well-represented by their defenders, but that couldn’t spare them the cruelty of World Cup penalties, which found Japan’s Komano joining the likes of Roberto Baggio and Chris Waddle as players who blasted it over in a penalty shoot out.
Can Paraguay now go all the way? Probably not. See the full Tournament Winners market.
