Spain eventually proved too good for Portugal on Tuesday and should now be backed with confidence to beat Paraguay.
David Villa’s fourth goal of the finals was enough to see Spain beat their fierce rivals 1-0, they lacked ideas before their star man foudn the net, but things should be plenty easier for them against the South Americans.
Villa’s second half strike allowed Spain to dominate, they retained possession fantastically after the only goal of the game, and an early strike on Saturday could well see them enjoy themselves as Germany did when thrashing Argentina 4-0 on Saturday afternoon.
Spain are at their best when their opponents are chasing the game and I saw little in Paraguay’s penalty kick win over Japan to suggest that the Euro 2008 winners will be troubled.
Spain were put under pressure in South Africa when defeated 1-0 by Switzerland in their opener but they breezed past Honduras 2-0, it could have been far more emphatic, and then beat Chile to secure their place in the knockout stages.
Paraguay’s win over Japan was cruel on the Asian side, they had probably shaded the tie over 120 minutes, and it was disappointing to see how negatively the South Americans played.
Paraguay have only managed a narrow win over Slovakia at these finals, also drawing with Italy and New Zealand, and the step up in class is likely to catch them out.
Restricting a side as talented as Vicente Del Bosque’s men for 90 minutes is easier said than done and, bearing in mind Portugal, a team that had conceded just three goals in their previous 18 matches, couldn’t hold out it is unlikely Paraguay will find a way to do so.
Despite Spain being available at no bigger than 1.50 to win the tie inside 90 minutes and set up a mouth-watering semi-final with Germany, I still rate them a decent bet and suggest you follow suit.
There have been shocks aplenty over the past couple of days, who would have thought Paraguay would now be the sole South American representatives, but another is unlikely here.
3pts Back Spain (vs. Paraguay) @ 1.50 (VC Bet)