Dominate the midfield

Chapter 620 Chapter 620: The Battle for the Top Eight!

The remaining two quarter-finals will be between Paraguay and Japan, Spain and Portugal.

At 29:[-] pm on the [-]th, at the Loftos Stadium in Pretoria, the match between Paraguay and Japan is imminent!
Previously, the two teams had never entered the quarter-finals in the World Cup. The two sides have faced each other six times in history. Japan has one win, three draws and two losses.

After the start of the game, the Japanese were very active. In No.20 seconds, Okubo Yoshito stole the ball in the frontcourt and shot 30 meters from the goal!
The football goes wide of the goal!

In the 3rd minute, Japan launched an attack from the right, and Yuichi Komano shot a long shot 30 meters from the goal!
Football confiscated by Paraguayan goalkeeper Bilal!
In the 7th minute, Paraguay fought back, Santa Cruz made a cross from the right, and Benitez fought hard outside the edge of the penalty area!

The football goes wide of the goal!

After the opening confrontation, the two sides slowed down the tempo, trying to control the situation on the court with the ball, and did not give the opponent more room to attack in defense.

Paraguay almost scored in the No.20 minute. Riveros passed the ball, and Barrios turned around and broke into the penalty area with a single-handed shot ten meters from the left rib!

The football was blocked by Japanese goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima with his legs!

Japan's No.20 fought back in two minutes, Daisuke Matsui shot 30 meters away from the goal!
The football roars through the fingers of the Paraguayan goalkeeper!

Just as the Japanese fans were about to cheer, there was a loud noise of "Pong!...", and the football hit the crossbar and bounced off the bottom line!
After nine and 10 minutes, the two sides had to accept the result of zero to zero after missing the goal again and again, and the game entered overtime.The two sides were more cautious in overtime, and still did not break through the opponent's goal, so the two sides entered the cruelest penalty shootout!
The tense and suffocating air put great pressure on the players on both sides. In the third round, Japanese defender Yuichi Komano hit the crossbar with a shot!

Paraguay used this opportunity to score the remaining two penalties, five to three!
Paraguay eliminated Japan and broke into the quarterfinals for the first time in history!
The Paraguayan fans at the scene roared wildly, and the Paraguayan bench rushed into the field. The Japanese could only feel dejected and shed painful tears...

……

The match between Portugal and Spain is undoubtedly the most suspenseful and eye-catching match in the quarter-finals. Will Ronaldo lead Portugal to continue to advance, or Spain, the winner of the European Cup in 08, will advance strongly to the quarter-finals?

At 08:30 in the evening, at the Green Point Stadium in Cape Town, the "Double Teeth Battle" started on time.The two teams have faced off 32 times in history. Spain has the upper hand with [-] wins, [-] draws and [-] losses. However, the two teams have never met in the World Cup finals.

The two teams are quite familiar with each other. After the start, Spain took advantage of its strong midfield and backcourt to control the game and attack Portugal.

Less than 1 minute into the game, Capdevila passed the ball and Torres shot from the edge of the penalty area on the left!
The football was saved by the Portuguese goalkeeper by Eduardo!
In the 3rd minute, Harvey passed the ball from the front court, and Villa made a strong shot from the left 30 meters away from the goal, and the football was once again saved by Eduardo!

In the 7th minute, Harvey passed the ball from the midfielder. After taking the ball, Villa broke into the penalty area and shot from a small angle on the left side of the penalty area!

The football was saved by Eduardo again!

No.12 minutes, Harvey took a tactical corner kick, and Torres shot from the right side of the penalty area!
The football hit the crossbar!

The Spaniards were attacking like a wave, and after the Portuguese withstood a round of heavy bombing, they finally recovered and launched an attack on Spain.Then the two sides fell into a dogfight, until the end of the first half, no one could break the deadlock.

The two sides ended the first half with a score of zero to zero.

After a 15-minute break, the two teams changed sides and fought again. Ronaldo was isolated and helpless in the frontcourt, and could only threaten Spain's goal with long-range shots and free kicks.

The Spaniard still uses his strong ball control ability to control the rhythm of the game.

In the No.18 minute of the second half, Spain's continuous passing and cooperation at the edge of the penalty area, Harvey's heel made a wonderful pass, and Villa made a strong shot from the edge of the penalty area!
The football was saved again by the brave Eduardo!

The vigilant Villa stepped forward with two steps and one foot to make up the shot!
Soccer hits the net!

One to zero!

Spaniards break the deadlock!

This is Villa's fourth goal in this World Cup!

In the next time, Portugal intends to launch a fierce attack, but in front of the powerful Spaniard in the midfield, they can only return without success again and again.

The Spaniard used the pass to kill time and the Portuguese's fighting spirit. At the end of the game, the Portuguese central defender Ricardo Costa, in great disappointment, elbowed Capdevila and was sent off by the referee. .

The Portuguese is gone and can only accept the fate of being eliminated [-]-[-].After the game, the disappointed Ronaldo looked somber and went straight to the dressing room, his second World Cup trip was over.

In the sadness of being eliminated, Ronaldo did not say hello when he met his Real Madrid teammates outside the dressing room, which surprised Casillas and Ramos.

Ronaldo apologized to his Portuguese teammates in the locker room, but when he left the stadium and passed through the mixed area, he refused to accept any media interviews, which also caused dissatisfaction in the Portuguese media.

After the game, the Spanish media highly praised their team. Aspen said: "Spain is on the right track. The confident and powerful Spanish team that won the European Cup in 08 is back!"

Villa, who scored the goal, was praised by the Spanish media. The Marca newspaper said: "After the game, Portugal defender Pepe said 'Villa is the Ronaldo of Spain, he is the embodiment of goals.'.

Villa is the most dazzling figure in Spain's World Cup this year. He scored twice against Honduras. He completed a beautiful long-range lob against Chile. He scored the whole game last night. The only goal!
It is worth mentioning that Villa also tied a dusty record. He became the second Spanish player to score in three consecutive games in the World Cup. The previous one was the legendary striker Sala in 1950. !

Villa, the hero of the goal, seemed full of confidence. In an interview with this newspaper, he said: "We should not doubt this team. Over the past few years, we have always proved that this team can win all honors."Spain has had generations of great players, but this is the generation that has achieved the best results. '

Villa, keep going, Spain need your goals! "

The focus of World Sports Daily's praise is Harvey: "Villa's goal came from Harvey's assists, and FIFA also awarded the best of the game to the Barcelona midfielder superstar, which is enough to show that Harvey Wei's great performance.

Spain's first group match loss to Switzerland was largely due to Harvey's sluggish state, which had something to do with the league just ended.With the passage of time, Harvey gradually recovered and became the driving force for Spain's progress. We believe that under his recovery, Spain will get better and better! "

With Spain's dominant performance in this game, it has once again become the favorite to win the championship.

(End of this chapter)