Paraguay v Japan, 29 June 2010

Kick-Off: 16:00 Local (15:00 BST) Man of the Match: Keisuke Honda (Japan) Assistant referees: Peter Hermans (Belgium) Walter Vromans (Belgium) Fourth official: Peter O'Leary (New Zealand) Fifth official: Matthew Taro (Solomon Islands) Paraguay won 5-3 on penalties. After Extra Time. 0-0 after 90 mins and 120 mins Paraguay and Japan met at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria on 29 June 2010. The match was decided by a penalty shootout after the score was locked at 0–0 for 120 minutes. Paraguay won the shootout and progressed to its first ever World Cup quarter-final. The match was a generally unexciting affair, as Japan adopted a defensive posture while Paraguay itself maintained a solid defence. The first half produced the occasional chance on goal with Lucas Barrios having a shot saved shortly before a long distance shot from Daisuke Matsui hit the crossbar of Paraguay's goal. The second half was similar, with either side producing occasional chances to score rather than periods of dominance. The result of the deadlock was extra time, which continued goalless. A penalty shootout ensued, in which Yuichi Komano missed a spot kick for Japan. Paraguay scored all five of its penalties, clinching the win and passage to the quarter-finals. After the match, Japan's coach Takeshi Okada resigned and Shunsuke Nakamura retired from international football.