Spain was expected to crush Paraguay and book a place in the semi-finals. They managed to get through to the semi-finals but just barely. The game against Paraguay was sluggish and it looked like it would go into extra time, until David Villa scored in the final minutes.

The first half ended with a 0-0 scoreline and once again Fernando Torres was unable to impress. This has been a strange tournament for the stars. Torres, Messi, Rooney and Kaka have all had a poor world cup. Spain’s coach, Vicente Del Bosque replaced Torres early in the second half and brought on Cesc Fabregas.

The only exciting period was in the second half when both sides won penalty kicks and both sides failed to convert. Paraguay won their first penalty kick when Gerald Pique pulled down Oscar Cardozo during a corner kick.

It was a brilliant opportunity for Cardozo to send Paraguay through to the semi’s but he failed to score. A few minutes later, Spain got a penalty kick when Alcaraz brought down David Villa.

Xavi Alonso took the penalty kick for Spain and scored but the referee rightly disallowed the goal because the Spaniards had encroached upon the penalty area. Xavi had to take the kick again but this time Paraguay’s goal keeper managed to save the ball.

The match looked like it would go into extra time but David Villa scored yet again for Spain in the 83rd minute to give them a 1-0 lead which would eventually take them through to the semi-finals.

Spain will now take on Germany and will have to raise their game considerably if they are to overpower the Germans. Their chances have increased as Mueller will miss the semi-finals due to his second consecutive red card.

Vicente Del Bosque told reporters after the match that “We didn't play well mainly because we didn't get enough of the ball. It has been a very tough, very uncomfortable match but this is what we expected - they didn't let us play our game.”

Bosque however is confident that Spain has the ability to win against the Germans. He said “We didn't play a terribly good match today but we are happy and we know we have the necessary resources to face any rival including Germany. It's a great moment for Spanish football. We beat Germany in the final of the Euros but they are among the elite teams and I think that speaks volumes for European football.”