Paraguay Takes On Japan In World Cup Second Round Play

Monday, 28 June 2010 10:00

Paraguay emerged as the winner from Group F while defending champions Italy were sent home early, and now they’ll be looking to make their own run at the biggest prize in soccer. Their second round slate begins on Tuesday against Japan. Paraguay drew with Italy in their first game, defeated Slovakia, and then cruised to a scoreless draw against New Zealand. Japan may not have overwhelmed their Group E competition, but they took the second place spot with a tough loss to Holland and a pair of solid wins against Denmark and Cameroon.

The big question about Paraguay heading into the World Cup concerned the quality of their defensive play, but they allowed only one goal in the group stage—and that was due to a miscue by their goalkeeper against Italy. They don’t have much in the way of offensive playmakers, so it’s a case where the defense paces the rest of the team. Enrique Vera and Cristian Riveros both scored against Slovakia, and they’ll be expected to carry much of the offense in the knockout stage.

Japan was viewed as a ‘team going nowhere’ heading into the World Cup, but they did what they had to do to advance. Their defense looked sound in the group stage and they generally played a very disciplined brand of football intended to minimize mistakes. They capitalized on an overly aggressive Cameroon in the first game to win 1-0. In their second contest, Japan stifled a very good Dutch offense before allowing a goal to Wesley Sneijder early in the second half en route to a 1-0 loss. They had no trouble in their final group game against Denmark, opening a 3-0 lead before settling for a 3-1 victory.

World Cup betting odds have installed Paraguay as a solid favorite to defeat Japan, but no one is expecting it to be an easy game. Japan is playing their best soccer of the year at the right time, and has shown the ability to use a solid tactical approach to defense to counter the advantage of much more talented teams. They’ve also shown an ability to capitalize on mistakes and do what is necessary to get a victory.

Ultimately, Paraguay will likely advance but with their offense sputtering at times it won’t be without a fight. Don’t be surprised if this game is tied at the end of the first 90 minutes and isn’t settled until penalty kicks. With both teams lacking offensive playmakers, we also anticipate a very low scoring affair that should stay UNDER the total.

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Paraguay Takes On Japan In World Cup Second Round Play

Paraguay Takes On Japan In World Cup Second Round Play

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