The quarter-final draw was finalised yesterday with Paraguay and Spain completing the last eight line-up following victories over Japan and Portugal respectively.

Having been treated to 21 goals in the first 6 knockout games this round, it ultimately proved too much to ask for a clean sweep of brilliant games, with the first of these ties being one seriously damp squib…

As neither country had reached a World Cup quarter-final previously, the Paraguay-Japan game was, perhaps understandably, a nervy affair. Keisuke Honda, scorer of two goals in the group stages, was left isolated up front and had little chance to threaten the Paraguay goal as Japan seemed content sitting deep and threatening their opponent’s goal from long range.

The South American side came into this game having conceded just one goal in the group stages and scored a mere three, and despite having the lion’s share of possession, their lack of true attacking edge meant they struggled to break down a well-drilled rearguard.

Paraguay eventually prevailed on penalties, meaning there are now four South American sides in the quarter finals. Despite now racking up three consecutive clean sheets, investment in the likes of goalkeeper Justo Villar, left-back Claudio Morel, and centre-halves Antolin Alcaraz and Paulo da Silva must surely be seen as a huge risk, given that next up is a quarter final match with Spain, particularly with the game taking place on the second, and last, day of the quarters.

The final game of the last 16 saw Spain deservedly see off a negative Portugal side by a David Villa goal to nil. Despite their seven goal mauling of North Korea, Portugal failed to score in any of their other three games and the tactics used last night, even when going behind, failed to produce almost any chance of real worth.

Spain controlled the match from start to finish and the only real surprise was the slight margin of victory. Villa bagged his fourth of the tournament and is turning into Fantasy gold for his owners; he also picked up one defensive Bonus Point and four attacking, meaning he is now the top scoring player in the McFifa game. Right-back Sergio Ramos matched Villa’s attacking points haul as well as chalking up a clean sheet. Not surprisingly, the Spanish midfield proved fruitful for Bonus Points as Andres Iniesta grabbed four attacking points, with Xavi hot on his heels with three.

Fernando Torres, substituted before the hour mark, was again a shadow of his true self and still looks off the pace. His replacement, Fernando Llorente, looked sharper and possibly gave Vicente del Bosque food for thought as he considers his selection for Saturday’s quarter final against Paraguay. Torres has another three days training before that game though, so it’s more than likely he will keep his starting place.

With all four South American teams drawn in seperate quarter finals, there stands the chance of a clean sweep of semi-final places but although Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay will be tipped to win their respective ties, Spain are overwhelming favourites against Paraguay and the next few days should see many a manager bringing in their players as a result.