World Cup Game #55

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At least it took until the 7th game of this round before we had to go to a penalty shoot-out. Paraguay, who were marginally the better and definitely the more adventurous team, eventually won 5-3 on penalties after neither side could score a goal in the first 90 minutes or the added 30. Japan relied on a pure counter-attack strategy which, admittedly, they did repeatedly trouble Paraguay whilst Paraguay tried a build a little more although it was their fast counterattacks which troubled Japan the most. Both sides had real trouble keeping possession of the ball in the midfield which turned parts of the game into fairly erratic dreary games of foot ping-pong with the occasional decisive burst by one team or the other. In the end Paraguay deserved to go through because they were marginally better.